Rep. Chip Roy, an outspoken fiscal conservative, is running for Texas attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Chip Roy, an outspoken fiscal conservative known for his willingness to challenge party leadership, announced Thursday that he is running for Texas attorney general.

Now in his fourth term, Roy is a prominent member of the House Freedom Caucus, a hard-line conservative faction that wields outsize influence in the narrowly divided House. He was a central player this summer in the negotiations around President Donald Trump’s big tax bill. But the lawmaker’s relationship with Trump has been complicated at times as one of the few Republicans who initially pushed back against Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Roy enters an increasingly crowded Republican primary field to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is challenging Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary next year.

“Texas is under assault — from open-border politicians, radical leftists, and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety, and our way of life,” Roy said in a statement. “It’s time to draw a line in the sand.”

Roy served as Paxton’s second-in-command in the attorney general’s office before winning election in 2018. Roy was the most prominent member of his party to call for Paxton to resign in 2020 after the attorney general’s top deputies reported him to law enforcement for alleged crimes including bribery and abuse of office.

Roy has been both critical of Trump while also trying to align with him. The congressman voted to certify the 2020 election results before changing course, and earlier this year appeared outside a jail to support individuals charged in connection with the Capitol riot.

Trump, in December 2024, publicly targeted Roy amid a party struggle over a government funding package, writing on social media that he hoped Republicans “go after Chip in the Primary!”

As policy chair of the Freedom Caucus, Roy has often been a thorn in the side of both Trump and the GOP leadership. He has been a frequent holdout this year on key legislation, including Trump’s tax and spending cut plan, which he criticized for lacking deeper reductions. He ultimately voted for it.

Roy represents the 21st Congressional District, a deeply conservative area west of both Austin and San Antonio. His departure comes as Republicans in the Legislature are redrawing congressional maps that would give the GOP a bigger edge the delegation in 2026.

In a statement announcing his run, Roy said that the “devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home.” On July 4, Texas’ Hill County was deluged by massive flooding that killed more than 130 people.

The Republican primary for attorney general already includes state Sens. Joan Huffman and Mayes Middleton.