Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton edged out U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in a contentious Republican runoff in the race for state attorney general, winning 55.7 percent of the vote to Roy's 44.3 percent.
Both candidates competed for conservative support, emphasizing they would tackle issues such as illegal immigration and other crimes. The winner of the Republican primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary—which also went to a runoff—in the November general election.
A state lawmaker, Middleton also took first place in the March 3 Republican primary with 39 percent of the vote, while Roy grabbed 32 percent.
Middleton branded himself as "MAGA Mayes" and highlighted keeping men out of women’s sports, suing sanctuary cities, opposing sharia law, and blocking land sales to foreign adversaries.
Roy campaigned heavily on protecting Texas from illegal immigrant criminals, as well as “Marxists, Islamists, and the Communist Party.” He ran ads suggesting President Donald Trump approved of him.
Roy, who represents Texas District 21, helped launch and co-chairs the Sharia-Free America Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Roy raised $13 million and personally contributed $2 million to his campaign.
Middleton, president of Middleton Oil Company, an independent oil and gas company, sank $16 million into his own campaign, with total contributions reaching nearly $21 million.
Both candidates had big-name endorsements. Roy received Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's backing, while Middleton received support from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who chaired Trump’s presidential campaign in Texas.
A poll released by the University of Houston (UH) in May showed Middleton leading Roy by 9 percentage points among Texans likely to vote in the Republican primary runoff.
Middleton led with 48 percent to Roy's 39 percent, according to the UH poll. However, 13 percent of voters remained unsure, suggesting that while Middleton held a statistical edge, Roy still had an opportunity to close the gap.
Polling also suggested a relationship in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff between current Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. According to the UH poll, a Paxton win in the Senate runoff would likely boost Middleton’s prospects.
Among likely primary voters who intended to vote for Cornyn in the Senate runoff, support for Middleton and Roy was nearly even at 43 percent and 45 percent, respectively.
Middleton led Roy 54 percent to 38 percent among voters who favored Paxton, showing that voter preferences in the Senate runoff could have a notable impact on the attorney general runoff.
On the Democratic side of the attorney general race, state Sen. Nathan Johnson almost avoided a runoff in March, with 48 percent of the vote. He faces former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, who garnered 26 percent.
In the primary runoffs, Republican turnout outpaced Democratic turnout, likely driven by the high-profile U.S. Senate and Texas attorney general races, offices long held by Republicans.
Unofficial early voting in the Democratic runoff showed a 1.44 percent turnout as of May 21. Registered Republicans fared better with 3.4 percent, according to the Texas secretary of state’s office.