Dallas Sen. Nathan Johnson Becomes First Democrat to Join Attorney General Race

Editor's Note 7/15/2025, 12:45 p.m.: This article has been updated to include comments from an interview with Sen. Nathan Johnson.

Next November will mark the first time in more than a decade that Ken Paxton will not be elected Texas’ attorney general, and now, Sen. Nathan Johnson is one of several candidates vying to replace him. 

Johnson, who was elected to represent parts of Irving, Dallas, Richardson and Mesquite at the state house in 2018, announced his campaign for attorney general Tuesday morning. Johnson is the first Democrat to announce a bid for Texas’ top judicial seat, and, if successful, would be the first Democrat elected to statewide office since 1994.

The 31-year drought is the Democratic Party’s longest losing streak in the nation. Dan Morales, the last Democrat to serve as Texas attorney general, was elected to a second term in 1994.

For Johnson, though, a Democrat drought isn’t a new challenge. District 16 was held by a Republican for decades before Johnson came along in 2018. He felt that everyone, especially the media, thought he was “crazy” when he announced his first campaign, but he ended up winning the seat by eight points.

“I saw change due and coming [in Senate District 16] and I see it due and coming here,” Johnson told the Observer. “I do know how to run uphill, and it will be an uphill battle. But the need to bring new leadership to [the attorney general’s] office is so profound.”

While Johnson said he believes he will benefit from a “surge” of Democrats driven to the polls out of anger at the political climate, he also believes he will appeal to independent Texans and Republicans who believe today’s party is “not the representation” they have traditionally voted for.

Because Johnson’s term does not end until 2028, he will not have to step down from his North Texas seat unless he wins the attorney general race. In the last legislative session, Johnson served on several committees, including Jurisprudence, Economic Development, Business and Commerce, Transportation and Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees.

Paxton announced that he would not be running for reelection in April when he launched a challenge to Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. Since Paxton announced his plan to seek an alternative office, several Republicans have thrown their cowboy hats into the AG ring.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican with an extremely conservative record, announced his candidacy for Texas attorney general in April. Middleton has pledged to spend $10 million of his own money on the campaign. State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican from Houston, has also announced a bid for the seat, as has Aaron Reitz, who previously served as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice under President Donald Trump and as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

According to CBS News, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski may join the Democratic primary for attorney general. Jaworski previously ran for the office in 2022, but lost to Rochelle Garza in the Democratic primary runoff.

Johnson said a “fundemental” part of his campaign will be reminding the general public what the role of an Attorney General really is. He lambasted Paxton for failing to join two dozen states in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration that could unlock billions in education funding, a lawsuit Johnson believes would be in the interest of Texas to join.

“It's a mystery, I think, to most people, exactly what the Office of Attorney General does. And when they're presented with the power of this office, to serve their interests, that's not being used, that's when they will be primed to make a decision for a better attorney general,” Johnson said. “An independently-minded attorney general doesn't care whether it's a Biden administration or Trump administration, or whatever the next [administration] is. They need to be acting in the interest of the state, not colluding with partisan forces.”