Nathan JohnsonNathan Johnson

This is the top lawyer for the State of Texas, and since 2014 the role has been held by Ken Paxton, best known for his own personal legal and ethical controversies and his attacks on vulnerable communities. Paxton is now running for U.S. Senate so this is an open seat. This office has the power to enforce consumer protections and it would be great to have someone who's actually focused on that, not suing drag queens and families of trans kids.

Jaworski was formerly mayor of Galveston, and Nathan Johnson has served as a Texas State Senator since 2019. I softly leaned toward Jaworski in the March primary, but now in the runoff I am softly leaning the other way for a few reasons...

Initially I gave Jaworski the edge for being the more progressive choice (honestly mainly on the recommendation of the Texas Progressive Caucus, who I usually agree with).

Here's why I shifted now that we're in the runoff...

Some of the claims against Johnson not being progressive enough are due to one of the practical side effects of being a member of the minority party in the Texas Senate... you don't always have the luxury of ideological purity if you want to actually accomplish anything. So leftist purists won't agree with his every vote, understandably so. And Jaworski simply has less of a record to scrutinize, having only served as mayor.

In recent days, enormous sums of money have gone into the runoff on the Republican side for this seat, and whoever wins THAT race is clearly going to have a ton of financial support. On the D side, Johnson has proven to be the better fundraiser, which will be really important in a general election where neither of the Democratic candidates have much name recognition statewide and the Rs are so well-financed.

Another point for me in Johnson's favor is that I know how hard he has worked as a state senator to protect the environment (he's worked closely with my old colleagues at the Texas Sierra Club). I think it would be really powerful to have someone in the AG's office (an office that could go after polluters if they wanted to!) who is already very well-informed on environmental issues in the state.

I also really liked Johnson's responses in this Texas Tribune interview: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/23/texas-2026-attorney-general-democrats-runoff-nathan-johnson-joe-jaworski/

Nathan Johnson is a Democratic Texas state senator, attorney, and former physics teacher who is running for Texas Attorney General in 2026. Elected to the Texas Senate in 2018, Johnson has focused on expanding healthcare access, strengthening public education, protecting consumers, and promoting bipartisan solutions. As Attorney General, he says he would rebuild the office around public service and the rule of law, while fighting corruption, protecting consumers from deceptive business practices, defending individual rights, and ensuring competitive markets. He also emphasizes maintaining a constructive relationship with local law enforcement and challenging government overreach when it harms Texans.

Member of TSEU (CWA 6186)

I like both of these candidates for different reasons. It's unquestionable that Jaworski is a tremendous candidate in his own right and his progressive values are solid, but that's where I get nervous. Statewide, progressive values are not popular.

I recently asked a friend about why they were voting for Nathan Johnson and he summed it up best for me by saying, Johnson is a fighter. He's going to go toe-to-toe with the Republican nominee and we need that energy both to flow up the ballot to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor races, but also flow downward to the crucial down ballot races. I think Johnson gets us there better than Jaworski, but I respect if Jaworski is your pick here.

Nathan Johnson is a seasoned litigator and a Texas State Senator, with a proven record of effective public service. Since taking office in 2019, Senator Johnson has authored approximately 433 bills and passed 134 into law. His portfolio affects virtually every aspect of public policy in Texas, including water, electrical power and growth of the grid, public education, health and healthcare (physical and mental), environmental protection and enforcement, workforce development, banking, construction, housing, artificial intelligence, law enforcement and criminal justice. His legislative record reflects a consistent emphasis on government transparency, legal clarity, and responsible use of public resources. He earned a high score of 86% from the Sierra Club for his environmental and conservation voting record in the Senate.

Runoff: May 26, 2026