Nathan Johnson Wins Texas Attorney General Democratic Runoff
Nathan Johnson won the Texas Democratic runoff for attorney general on May 26, 2026, after CBS News projected him as the winner over former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. The result makes Johnson the Democratic candidate in a race for the office soon to be left open by Republican Ken Paxton.
March 3 Primary Set the Runoff
Jaworski entered the runoff after he received more than 48% of the vote in the March 3 Democratic primary. He needed 50% plus one vote to avoid a second round, which left the nomination unresolved and moved the contest into a head-to-head race with Johnson.
Johnson’s View of the Office
Johnson has said he would not defend laws he views as unconstitutional, including Texas’s Ten Commandments law. In a previous interview with CBS News Texas, he said, “I will not defend the legislature's passage of unconstitutional laws and laws that violate individual rights. I will not defend the legislature's passage of a requirement that schools place the Ten Commandments in classrooms because it's unconstitutional.”
Johnson also said, “That might be a good conversation for me to have with the legislature before they pass the next ill-advised and unconstitutional law.” He said his goal is not to sue the administration of President Donald Trump, but to protect Texas from federal overreach.
4,000 Employees and 800 Lawyers
Johnson said his first task would be staffing the office. He described the Attorney General’s Office as a large institution with 4,000 employees and 800 lawyers, and said, “My top priority is to populate the Attorney General's Office with really good people. Four thousand employees, 800 lawyers. The ideologues can go somewhere else. People with institutional expertise who are committed to public service, whether they're currently working in the Ken Paxton Attorney General's Office or new,”
Johnson also tied the job to consumer competition, saying, “Quality has gone down. Prices have gone up, and consumers are being manipulated and taken advantage of in the commercial sector,” and, “Attorneys General are supposed to make sure that the competitive market is competitive. It is the natural tendency of powerful corporations to try to get more powerful. It is the duty of government to make sure that they don't control the rules of the game and are forced to compete.”
Joe Jaworski and Tony Box
Jaworski faced Johnson in the runoff after Dallas attorney Tony Box finished behind him in the March 3 primary. Box said he would remain neutral and would not endorse either Jaworski or Johnson, leaving the runoff to settle the Democratic nomination without his support.
The primary result changed the race’s tempo quickly: the runoff removed the uncertainty over the Democratic nominee and put Johnson opposite the Republican-held office that Paxton will soon leave. For voters and lawyers watching the contest, the immediate question is how Johnson would use the attorney general’s office if he wins the general election after building a campaign around law, staffing, and market competition.
