Friday night in Brazos County, at their annual Reagan-Trump Dinner, voters heard from the four candidates running for attorney general in the Texas Republican Primary on March 3rd.
I was there, and I actually know a lot about all four of these candidates. But as I listened to each of them tell us why we should vote for them in their own words, I couldn’t get out of my thoughts the potential impact of this race as a marker for how the Republican Party in Texas will move forward.
That sounds dramatic, I know, so let me explain myself.
The once-united Republican Party in Texas has become fractured in recent years by shifting alliances, a lack of vision, a drift from conservative principles, and a preference for personalities over principles.
Here in rural Texas, I would say we know we are “Republicans,” but our why has more to do with a lack of options in the Democratic Party than it does satisfaction with the Republicans. Even when it comes to the President, we support the general direction of his policies and the end result he wants, but even we have gotten a little nervous over some of the tactics.
So if you are a Republican like me, or an Independent or Democrat trying to think it all out, the platforms of the four candidates in the Republican Primary for Attorney General read like a summary of the characters in a play. Hearing them speak gave me insight into my own reasons for picking the candidate I’m planning to fill in the bubble for.
The Practitioner: Joan Huffman is a State Senator from Houston, a very accomplished legislator, and a former prosecutor. Her message to voters is that you need an experienced prosecutor in the AG’s office — someone who will get things done. Her appeal is to voters in the Texas GOP who prioritize experience to do the job and an attorney general who will deliver results.
The Deacon: Mayes Middleton is also a State Senator, from the Galveston area, the president of his family’s independent oil and gas company, and an attorney. Middleton’s message is that we are facing a spiritual battle against the left, and we need someone who will carry a torch for our faith as attorney general. He is appealing to those in our party who see government as a proper tool for advancing Christian values.
The Firebrand: Aaron Reitz is an attorney and a veteran who has spent his career primarily in government and political legal roles, including working in the Texas Attorney General’s office. Reitz has been endorsed by President Trump and sitting Attorney General Ken Paxton, and he prominently cites their support. Reitz appeals to the faction of our party who are fearful of the left taking over this country. He told us, “the left hates you,” and that he is the guy to stop them.
The Steward: Chip Roy is an attorney who currently serves as a congressman from the Hill Country and previously worked in the Texas Attorney General’s office. Roy is battle-tested and probably the best-known candidate, as he regularly appears on Fox News as a member of the Liberty Caucus. Roy’s appeal is to voters who are concerned about the government’s growing power over the people and those who fear a corporate takeover of Texas.
The job of the Attorney General in Texas is to serve as the state’s top lawyer and legal watchdog — representing Texas in court, defending state laws, and advising state agencies and public officials on what the law actually says and how it must be followed. The AG’s office handles major lawsuits involving the state, enforces consumer protection laws, oversees open-government rules like public information requests, and runs the child-support system that serves families in every county.
While the Texas AG isn’t a local district attorney and usually doesn’t bring everyday criminal cases, the office does have investigative and enforcement authority in areas like fraud, human trafficking, and election-related matters. At its core, the Texas Attorney General exists to protect the legal interests of the state and the rights of Texans — and to ensure that government itself operates within the law.
If you live in rural Texas, it’s not likely that you will cross paths with many statewide candidates. They don’t often make it to our county fairs, our hospital board meetings, or our school cafeterias. That’s why nights like this matter. It’s why I pay attention not just to who shows up, but to what they say when they do.
Because the Attorney General’s office may sit in Austin, but its reach runs straight through our courthouses, our school districts, our water fights, our public records requests, and our ability to hold powerful institutions accountable.
Listening to these four candidates back-to-back made something very clear to me: this race is not just about who can win a primary. It’s about what kind of Republican Party Texas is becoming.
Is it a party of practitioners who emphasize competence and outcomes?
A party of deacons who see government as a vehicle for moral authority?
A party of firebrands who thrive on fear and conflict?
Or a party of stewards who frame their mission around limiting power and guarding the people’s authority?
Rural Texans live with the consequences of state government in very tangible ways — when a hospital closes, when a water well runs dry, when a city won’t release records, when a family needs child support enforced, when a local government drifts into secrecy or dysfunction. The Attorney General is not an abstract office out here.
So as this primary approaches on March 3rd, I’d encourage rural voters not to outsource this decision to endorsements, headlines, or party machinery. Listen to the candidates. Measure them not just by who they stand against, but by what they believe the office is for.
Because this race is more than a personality contest. It is a quiet but powerful signal about whether Texas Republicans intend to govern, to preach, to fight, or to steward.
And rural Texas has more at stake in that answer than most people in Austin will ever realize.
Suzanne Bellsnyder is editor and publisher of the Hansford County Reporter-Statesman and Sherman County Gazette. A former Capitol staffer with decades of experience in Texas politics and policy, she now focuses on how state decisions shape rural life through her newspapers and the Texas Rural Reporter. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.TexasRuralReporter.Substack.com