Attorney General of Texas

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Texas Attorney General

TX Atty Gen logo.JPG

General information
Office Type:  Partisan
Office website:  Official Link
Compensation:  $153,750
2025 FY Budget:  $716,386,916
Term limits:  None
Structure
Length of term:   4 years
Selection Method:  Elected
Current Officeholder

Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton
Republican Party
Assumed office: September 18, 2023

Elections
Next election:  November 3, 2026
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Other Texas Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Comptroller • Auditor • Education Commissioner • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Land Commissioner • Workforce Commission • Public Utility Commission • Railroad Commission

The Attorney General of Texas is the chief lawyer and legal officer for the state of Texas. According to the Texas Constitution, the attorney general defends the laws and the constitution of the state of Texas, represents the state in litigation, and approves public bond issues.

Texas has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

Current officeholder

The current Attorney General of Texas is Ken Paxton (R). Paxton assumed office in 2023.

Qualifications

According to the Texas Secretary of State, state law says that no person shall be eligible for to run for the office of attorney general unless they are:[1]

  • at least 18 years of age
  • a citizen of the United States
  • a resident of Texas for at least 12 months

Vacancies

Article 4, Section 12 (a) of the Texas Constitution states: "All vacancies in State or district offices, except members of the Legislature, shall be filled unless otherwise provided by law by appointment of the Governor."[2]

Elections

Article 4, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution states: "All the above officers of the Executive Department (except Secretary of State) shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State at the time and places of election for members of the Legislature." The attorney general is elected to serve for a four-year term. There is no term limit for this office.[2]

2022

See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2022

General election

General election for Attorney General of Texas

Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Rochelle Garza and Mark Ash in the general election for Attorney General of Texas on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton (R)
 
53.4
 
4,278,986
Image of Rochelle Garza
Rochelle Garza (D) Candidate Connection
 
43.7
 
3,497,267
Image of Mark Ash
Mark Ash (L)
 
2.9
 
233,750

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,010,003
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas

Rochelle Garza defeated Joe Jaworski in the Democratic primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rochelle Garza
Rochelle Garza Candidate Connection
 
62.7
 
305,168
Image of Joe Jaworski
Joe Jaworski Candidate Connection
 
37.3
 
181,744

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 486,912
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas

Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated George P. Bush in the Republican primary runoff for Attorney General of Texas on May 24, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton
 
68.0
 
633,223
Image of George P. Bush
George P. Bush
 
32.0
 
298,577

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 931,800
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas

Rochelle Garza and Joe Jaworski advanced to a runoff. They defeated Lee Merritt, Mike Fields, and S. T-Bone Raynor in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Rochelle Garza
Rochelle Garza Candidate Connection
 
43.0
 
438,134
✔
Image of Joe Jaworski
Joe Jaworski Candidate Connection
 
19.8
 
202,140
Image of Lee Merritt
Lee Merritt
 
19.4
 
198,108
Image of Mike Fields
Mike Fields Candidate Connection
 
12.3
 
125,373
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
S. T-Bone Raynor
 
5.5
 
55,944

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,019,699
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Incumbent Ken Paxton and George P. Bush advanced to a runoff. They defeated Eva Guzman and Louis B. Gohmert Jr. in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton
 
42.7
 
823,199
✔
Image of George P. Bush
George P. Bush
 
22.8
 
439,240
Image of Eva Guzman
Eva Guzman Candidate Connection
 
17.5
 
337,761
Image of Louis B. Gohmert Jr.
Louis B. Gohmert Jr.
 
17.0
 
327,257

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,927,457
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas

Mark Ash advanced from the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas on April 10, 2022.

Candidate
✔
Image of Mark Ash
Mark Ash (L)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Texas Attorney General election, 2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Texas

Incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Justin Nelson and Michael Ray Harris in the general election for Attorney General of Texas on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton (R)
 
50.6
 
4,193,207
Image of Justin Nelson
Justin Nelson (D)
 
47.0
 
3,898,098
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Michael Ray Harris (L)
 
2.4
 
201,310

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 8,292,615
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas

Justin Nelson advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
✔
Image of Justin Nelson
Justin Nelson

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas

Incumbent Ken Paxton advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Texas on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
✔
Image of Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas

Michael Ray Harris defeated Jamar Osborne in the Libertarian convention for Attorney General of Texas on April 15, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Michael Ray Harris (L)
 
90.4
 
236
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jamar Osborne (L)
 
9.6
 
25

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 261
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Texas attorney general election, 2014

Republican Ken Paxton won election on November 4, 2014.

Attorney General of Texas, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKen Paxton 58.8% 2,742,646
     Democrat Sam Houston 38% 1,773,108
     Libertarian Jamie Balagia 2.5% 118,186
     Green Jamar Osborne 0.6% 29,590
Total Votes 4,663,530
Election results via Texas Secretary of State

Full history


Duties

Article 4, Section 22 of the Texas Constitution defines certain duties of the attorney general:

The Attorney General shall represent the State in all suits and pleas in the Supreme Court of the State in which the State may be a party, and shall especially inquire into the charter rights of all private corporations, and from time to time, in the name of the State, take such action in the courts as may be proper and necessary to prevent any private corporation from exercising any power or demanding or collecting any species of taxes, tolls, freight or wharfage not authorized by law. He shall, whenever sufficient cause exists, seek a judicial forfeiture of such charters, unless otherwise expressly directed by law, and give legal advice in writing to the Governor and other executive officers, when requested by them, and perform such other duties as may be required by law.[2]

Divisions

As of January 11, 2021, divisions within the Attorney General's Office included:[3]

  • General Counsel
  • Opinion Committee
  • Solicitor General
  • Open Records
  • Civil Litigation
  • Child Support
  • Criminal Justice
  • Law Enforcement
  • Crime Victim Services and Victims Assistance Grants
  • Colonias
  • Administrative Functions

State budget

See also: Texas state budget and finances

The budget for the Texas Attorney General's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $716,386,916.[4]

Compensation

See also: Compensation of state executive officers

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Texas Statutes Title 6, Chapter 659

The attorney general, along with the rest of Texas' executive officers, is entitled by Article 4, Section 23 of the Texas Constitution to receive an annual salary, pursuant to Title 6, Section 659.011 of the Texas Statutes. The legislature was empowered to set the salaries of executive branch officers by a 1954 constitutional amendment. Prior to that, the constitution stipulated the salary amounts paid to each officer.[5] The amounts are fixed by the biennial General Appropriations Act.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $153,750, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]

2021

In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]

2020

In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.[8]

2019

In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]

2018

In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]

2017

In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]

2016

In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $153,750 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]

2015

In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]

2014

In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]

2013

In 2013, the attorney general was paid an estimated $150,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.[15]

2010

In 2010, the annual salary for the attorney general was $150,000.[16]

Historical officeholders

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of Texas has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Texas Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Attorney General of Texas - Google News

Contact information

Post Office Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548

Phone: 512-463-2100

See also

Texas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 11, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Texas State Legislature, "Texas State Constitution," accessed January 11, 2021
  3. ↑ Texas Attorney General, "All Divisions," accessed January 11, 2021
  4. ↑ Texas Legislature, "H.B. No. 1 General Appropriations Act," accessed December 6, 2023
  5. ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "SALARIES OF STATE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS," accessed January 11, 2021
  6. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
  7. ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
  8. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 11, 2021
  9. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 11, 2021
  10. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 11, 2021
  11. ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 11, 2021
  12. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
  13. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
  14. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
  15. ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 28, 2014
  16. ↑ Sunshine Review, "Texas state government salary," accessed May 18, 2011
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