Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, announced Thursday he will leave Congress to run for state attorney general next year.
Roy will be seeking to replace state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the 2026 GOP primary.
“Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities,” Roy posted Thursday morning on X.
“I’m running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy … unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn. #LiveFree”
A press release Roy shared on X said the lawmaker’s decision partly resulted from watching the community in his district come together in the wake of the Texas Hill Country flooding early last month.
“My experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear I want that; I want to come home,” he said.
“Texas is under assault — from open border politicians, radical leftists and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety and our way of life. It’s time to draw a line in the sand. As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families and for the future of Texas.”
As attorney general, Roy said he would work to take on a variety of issues.
“No more [progressive billionaire George] Soros-funded judges and [district attorneys] putting criminals on our streets,” he said. “No more judge-made mandates that Texas pay for illegals in our public schools. No more communities built on Sharia law.”
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said, “I hate to lose my friend ?@chiproytx in Congress. Sometimes, I want to pinch his ears off, but I will miss him.”
Roy has represented the Austin, Texas, area in the House since 2019. A member of the House Freedom Caucus, he was Paxton’s top deputy for two years before becoming an outspoken critic of his former boss.
Roy also has had an up-and-down relationship with President Donald Trump.
Roy and other Caucus members initially withheld support for Trump’s big, beautiful tax cut and spending bill before voting for it. The president signed the megabill into law on July 4.
“Six months ago, we were being told we’d be lucky to get $300 billion in savings,” Roy said, Politico reported. “We kind of threw down, and we’re fiscal hawks, and we got $1.6 trillion in mandatory spending, which [is] historic — has never happened.”
“I’ll put our effectiveness up against anyone if they want to match up scorecards.”
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