Former president Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) for re-election in a statement Monday.
In the 2022 GOP primary for Texas AG, the incumbent Paxton will face Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court justice Eva Guzman.
"Attorney General Ken Paxton has been bravely on the front line in the fight for Texas, and America, against the vicious and very dangerous Radical Left Democrats, and the foolish and unsuspecting RINOs that are destroying our Country," Trump said in an email. "Ken is strong on Crime, Border Security, the Second Amendment, Election Integrity and, above all, our Constitution."
Paxton tweeted he was "honored to receive" Trump's endorsement on Monday.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Shortly after the endorsement, Bush also tweeted, indirectly referencing Paxton's criminal investigations, including a FBI investigation into bribery in an alleged extramarital affair as well as a 2015 indictment on securities fraud.
"I’m running for Attorney General because Texans deserve integrity and honesty from the office of Texas’ top law enforcement official," Bush said on Twitter. "Texans deserve a candidate without a laundry list of existing and potential criminal indictments."
Bush actively sought Trump's endorsement in the race and said he voted for the former president in the 2020 election.
Lone Star Politics
Covering politics throughout the state of Texas.
The son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, George P. Bush was one of the few members of his family to publicly announce his vote for Trump.
But, Trump still decided to endorse Paxton. The current attorney general unsuccessfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn election results in four states that helped deliver the presidency to Democrat Joe Biden.
While the lawsuit did not work, the move helped Paxton's fundraising and earned praise from Trump.
"He loves our Military and our Vets. It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken Paxton to advance America First policies in order to Make America Great Again," Trump also said in Monday's statement. "Ken has my Complete and Total Endorsement for another term as Attorney General of Texas. He is a true Texan who will keep Texas safe—and will never let you down!"
Former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and attorney Lee Merritt have declared their runs for Texas attorney general as Democrats.
When Bush first announced his run for attorney general, Jaworski said the GOP primary would likely come down to Trump's endorsement.
"The Texas AG Republican primary, unfortunately, isn’t going to solve the root problem here: The contest between Paxton and Bush will be for Donald Trump’s endorsement," Jaworski said in a statement.
