Hard-Right Rep. Louie Gohmert Exploring Run For Texas Attorney General - Forbes

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Topline

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) is seriously considering a run for Texas attorney general, according to a campaign website launched Tuesday, as a strong Republican field lines up to take on legally embattled incumbent Ken Paxton.

Key Facts

The website stated Gohmert is "willing to run" against Paxton, though he claims he needs $1 million in donations over the next 10 days to "allow a state-wide campaign to have a chance."

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who's the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has already launched a campaign against Paxton for the Republican nomination, and early polling—which hasn't included Gohmert—shows him as the most likely challenger to Paxton.

The GOP race has also attracted former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and state Rep. Matt Krause.

Paxton, who was first elected attorney general in 2014, has been under indictment on felony state securities fraud charges since 2015 and is reportedly under federal FBI investigation after his aides claimed he used his position to help a donor.

Paxton has denied any wrongdoing in the cases.

Crucial Quote

"We need a Texas Attorney General whose top attorneys working for him have not found it necessary to send a letter to the FBI urging an investigation into corruption of their boss," Gohmert said on the website.

Surprising Fact

Paxton has already won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, which has been a critical boost for candidates in GOP primaries around the country.

Key Background

Gohmert, 68, has served in the House since 2005, and is widely considered one of the most extreme conservatives in Congress. He often appears alongside U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), like last week, when the two of them visited a Washington, D.C., jail to review conditions in which accused January 6 U.S. Capitol rioters are being held. Gohmert said he's been drawn to the state race over Paxton's perceived vulnerability, warning Paxton could lose to a Democrat if he's chosen as the GOP nominee, a concern Bush also holds. A Democrat hasn't won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, and Paxton won reelection in 2018 by under 3.6 percentage points, which was the smallest margin in any statewide race.

Tangent

Paxton is an outspoken Trump supporter and he used his power as attorney general to try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, following Trump's false claims of fraud. In December, he filed a lawsuit directly to the U.S. Supreme Court that sought to discard the results in four states President Joe Biden carried, but the court threw out the case. The state of Texas has also filed numerous lawsuits against the Biden administration, with Texas on January 22 becoming the first state to sue the Biden White House—two days after Biden took office.