GOP congressman Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX) announced on Monday that he will be joining the crowded field of Republican hopefuls looking to unseat incumbent Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, also a Republican.
Earlier this month Gohmert said he was exploring a bid for AG and was basing his decision on whether he could raise $1 million in 10 days. He said on Monday that he’d reached that goal, according to Politico.
If elected, Gohmert said he would prioritize “election integrity,” push back on “unconstitutional mandates” and clamp down on border crossings.
“A priority will be election integrity so that every legal vote counts. Though our current AG has had two terms — it seems he really started working harder after so many of his most honorable and very top people in the AG’s office left, complaining of criminal conduct. If you allow me, I will not wait to be my busiest until after some bad press about legal improprieties. I’ll start boldly protecting your rights on day one,” Gohmert said.
“Unconstitutional mandates will not be tolerated from anyone — parental consent is still an important concept in America, and especially in Texas,” he said. “The invasion across our Southern border has to stop, but they’re still pouring in.”
The Republican primary will be closely watched as it would test Donald Trump’s hold on the party in a state he won in the last election. Trump has endorsed Paxton for re-election even though he is under indictment on securities fraud charges and faces an FBI probe into allegations that he abused his office.
The State Bar of Texas is also investigating whether his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election amounted to professional misconduct, according to The Associated Press.
Gohmert will be joining a crowded field of candidates that includes George P. Bush, the state’s land commissioner. Republican state Rep. Matt Krause and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.
Joe Jaworski, former Galveston mayor, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt and former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza are competing in the Democratic primary to face off against whomever prevails in the Republican fight.
Gohmert, a close ally of Donald Trump’s, filed a lawsuit last year asking former Vice-President Mike Pence to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Congress. A court tossed the suit because Gohmert lacked standing to change Pence’s role in certifying the election.
