In a one-on-one interview with KHOU 11, Rep. Chip Roy makes his closing argument to Republican voters ahead of Tuesday’s runoff.
HOUSTON — With just days to go before Tuesday’s runoff election, Rep. Chip Roy is making his closing pitch to Texas Republicans in one of the most closely watched and expensive state attorney general races in U.S. history.
Roy, a four-term congressman, sat down with KHOU 11 for a one-on-one interview as he battles Sen. Mayes Middleton in the GOP runoff to replace outgoing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The race has shattered spending records and drawn national attention, with both candidates aggressively attacking each other in the final stretch.
Roy says his campaign comes down to one key issue: experience.
“If I’m looking at resumes, I just would not hire somebody with his lack of experience,” Roy told KHOU 11, referring to Middleton. “He’s never been in the courtroom. He’s never practiced law in a meaningful way.”
Roy has made that contrast central to his campaign, arguing Texas needs someone with legal experience to run one of the most powerful offices in the state.
“At the end of the day, you want somebody who’s a trained lawyer to be the attorney general of the state of Texas,” Roy said.
Roy previously worked in the Texas Attorney General’s Office before being elected to Congress and says he would build on Paxton’s work while pursuing his own priorities.
“You gotta deal with the border, you gotta deal with illegal aliens, you gotta deal with the issue of Islam, these massive Islamic centers and mosques that are going up all over the state of Texas,” Roy said. “So you need an attorney general who’s been there, been in the trenches.”
Middleton, meanwhile, has spent more than $11 million of his own money on the race and has aired attacks questioning whether Roy is loyal enough to President Donald Trump.
When asked about those attacks, Roy defended his record.
“Look at my record and look what I’ve done, how that aligns with what the president wants to accomplish, and how effective my record has been in delivering. The president knows that,” Roy said.
Roy also took aim at Middleton, accusing him of being too closely tied to Austin politics.
“My opponent would be too quick and happy to be a puppet in Austin,” Roy said. “Austin doesn’t need a puppet. Austin needs somebody who’s gonna be a change agent.”
Despite Middleton’s attacks, Roy said he has a strong relationship with Trump.
“I’ve got a great relationship with the president,” Roy said.
Roy said he believes the Texas Attorney General’s office should ultimately answer to Texans, not political factions.
“The Office of the Attorney General is the lawyer for the people of Texas. That’s the way I view it. And that means all Texans,” Roy said. “You need an attorney general who’s focused on them, on the people, not the swamp in Austin.”
The winner of Tuesday’s Republican runoff will advance to the November election to face the winner of the Democratic runoff between Texas State Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.
You can see Roy’s full interview here: