State Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, on Monday launched the first general election ad of his campaign for Texas attorney general, a seven-figure media buy that will run statewide through Election Day.
The 30-second spot skewers his opponent, state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, for seeking to further politicize the office. Middleton, who pumped millions of his family’s oil fortune into his own campaign during the primary, branded himself as “MAGA Middleton” pledged to “put God back in government.”
“Twelve years of Ken Paxton turned the attorney general’s office into a political operation, a private law firm for the far right,” Johnson said in an emailed statement. “My opponent sat for an interview and said he does not think that office has gotten too political. I think it has.”
The ad begins with footage of Middleton making some of his most extreme claims, including that “there is no such thing as separation of church and state” and that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
In the closing seconds of the spot, Johnson pledges to steer the AG’s office back to its core functions, placing “the rule of law over politics” and the “public good over a personal agenda.”
“I’m Nathan Johnson,” the Democrat concludes. “Texas needs a good lawyer.”
In a recent interview with the Current, Johnson highlighted his own background as a working attorney and pointed out that while Middleton has a law degree, he has no courtroom experience.
Johnson also warned that Middleton’s interest in targeting the political left will further polarize the office while turning attention from its key role of protecting Texas consumers.
“We need to remove the politics from this office so we can get back to rooting out corruption and going after companies that are rigging prices as Texans struggle,” Johnson told the Current.
Recent polling has shown the Texas Attorney General’s race as uncharacteristically close amid what’s likely to be a rough cycle for the GOP. A survey by nonpartisan Texas Public Opinion Research found that 46% of likely Texas voters back Middleton, while 43% said they support Johnson. Libertarian Tom Oxford stood at 2%, and 9% were undecided.
Texas politics is a mess. We make it a readable mess.
Sign up for San Antonio Current’s new “Texas Politics This Week” newsletter.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
