WASHINGTON — Conservative firebrand Rep. Chip Roy mentioned Thursday he’s working for Texas legal professional common in 2026, leaping right into a crowded Republican major area to interchange Ken Paxton.
Roy, a member of the far-right Home Freedom Caucus, has been a thorn within the facet of President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the Home GOP management crew. A former legal professional and high aide to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Roy first got here to Congress in 2019.
In his marketing campaign launch video posted Thursday, Roy, 53, warned “the Texas of our desires, our households and our forefathers, is below assault,” blaming “radical Democrats and George Soros,” “open border politicians,” and “faceless firms and the Chinese language Communist Get together.”
“Right this moment, we draw a line within the sand,” he mentioned.
Roy joins a number of different Republican candidates within the race for legal professional common after Paxton introduced a bid towards Sen. John Cornyn in 2026.
Roy has repeatedly voted towards large funding payments and has railed towards the ballooning nationwide debt and deficit spending.
In considered one of his extra memorable speeches, Roy, in November 2023, took to the Home ground and berated his personal GOP management, asking colleagues to call “one factor” that Republicans had achieved since taking again management of the Home that January.
“I would like my Republican colleagues to present me one factor — one! — that I can go marketing campaign on and say we did. One!” Roy exclaimed. “Anyone sitting within the advanced, you need to come right down to the ground and are available clarify to me one materials, significant, vital factor the Republican majority has achieved in addition to, ‘Effectively, I suppose it’s not as dangerous because the Democrats.’”
He was considered one of a handful of Republicans who backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over Trump within the 2024 presidential major. And he initially was against Trump’s “large stunning invoice” earlier this 12 months earlier than finally voting for it, saying he helped safe adjustments, together with eliminating clean-energy subsidies.
In 2021, after Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, Roy broke with Trump and GOP leaders when he voted to certify the outcomes of the 2020 election.
“That vote might effectively signal my political loss of life warrant, however so be it,” Roy mentioned on the time.
Since then, Trump has disparaged Roy on a number of events, calling him a “RINO” congressman who seeks “low cost publicity” and may face a major problem.
In his marketing campaign video, Roy briefly invokes Trump, saying he helped the president safe the border.
“Texans’ subsequent legal professional common should have a confirmed document of preventing to protect, defend and defend our legacy, an legal professional common unafraid to battle, unafraid to win,” Roy mentioned. “That is why I fought to safe our border and assist President Trump ship outcomes.”
Roy joins a handful of different conservative rabble rousers who’re heading for the exits of Congress to run for statewide workplace — a welcome improvement for Johnson and his crew, who’ve struggled to corral votes from these Freedom Caucus members.
Former Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Biggs is working for governor in Arizona, whereas Rep. Ralph Norman is working for that very same publish in his native South Carolina. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Freedom Caucus ally who additionally regularly bucked management, is working for South Carolina governor. And former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who created complications for management, resigned from Congress final November and is eyeing a bid for governor in Florida.
