Wikipedia

2022 Texas Attorney General election

The 2022 Texas Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Texas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton won re-election to his third term.[1][2][3] Paxton won 233 counties and won the popular vote by a margin of 9.7%, underperforming Governor Greg Abbott's concurrent bid for re-election by 1.1%.

2022 Texas Attorney General election
← 2018 November 8, 2022 2026 →
Turnout36.6% (Decrease 5.0%)
 
Nominee Ken Paxton Rochelle Mercedes Garza
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 4,278,986 3,497,267
Percentage 53.42% 43.66%
Paxton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Garza:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%
     No data
Attorney General before election

Ken Paxton
Republican

Elected Attorney General

Ken Paxton
Republican

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in runoff

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Eliminated in primary

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Withdrawn

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Endorsements

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George P. Bush
U.S. Executive Branch officials
State senators
Local officials
Newspapers
Organizations
Individuals
Ken Paxton
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Organizations
Eva Guzman
Newspaper and other media
Organizations
  • Texans for Lawsuit Reform[8]
Louie Gohmert
State representatives

First round

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Polling

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Graphical summary
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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		George P.
Bush 		Louie
Gohmert 		Eva
Guzman 		Matt
Krause 		Ken
Paxton 		Other Undecided
Emerson College February 21–22, 2022 522 (LV) ± 4.2% 20% 12% 12% – 43% – 14%
UT Tyler February 8–15, 2022 577 (LV) ± 4.4% 25% 7% 13% – 39% – 16%
YouGov/UT January 28 – February 7, 2022 375 (LV) ± 5.1% 21% 15% 16% – 47% 1% –
UT Tyler January 18–25, 2022 503 (LV) ± 5.1% 19% 8% 7% – 33% – 33%
YouGov/UH January 14–24, 2022 490 (LV) ± 3.7% 16% 13% 8% – 39% – 24%
November 23, 2021 Krause withdraws from the race
UT Tyler November 9–16, 2021 401 (LV) ± 5.3% 32% – 7% – 46% 7% 8%
YouGov/UT/TT October 22–31, 2021 554 (RV) ± 4.2% 16% – 2% 3% 48% 3% 27%
YouGov/TXHPF October 14–27, 2021 405 (LV) ± 4.9% 17% – 6% 2% 50% – 25%
UT Tyler September 7–14, 2021 348 (LV) ± 6.7% 28% – 5% – 43% 14% 10%
UT Tyler June 20–29, 2021 337 (LV) ± 6.1% 34% – 4% – 42% 12% 8%

Results

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Primary results map by county:
  Paxton
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
      60–70%
  Bush
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
  Gohmert
  •   30–40%
      40–50%
      50–60%
      60–70%

Gohmert performed best in Texas's 1st congressional district, where he served as a US representative at the time; Guzman performed best in urban Travis, Harris, and Dallas counties; Bush performed best in the Rio Grande Valley; and Paxton performed best in the Texas Panhandle, South Plains, and Southeast Texas.[23]

Republican primary results[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Paxton (incumbent) 823,199 42.71%
Republican George P. Bush 439,240 22.79%
Republican Eva Guzman 337,761 17.52%
Republican Louie Gohmert 327,257 16.98%
Total votes 1,927,457 100.00%

Runoff

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Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		George P.
Bush 		Ken
Paxton 		Undecided
UT Tyler May 2–10, 2022 570 (LV) ± 4.6% 35% 41% 24%
CWS Research (R)[A] May 4–10, 2022 992 (LV) ± 3.1% 31% 58% 11%
CWS Research (R)[A] March 29 – April 2, 2022 678 (LV) ± 3.8% 30% 59% 11%
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 438 (LV) ± 4.7% 23% 65% 12%

Results

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Primary runoff results map by county:
  Paxton
  •   50–60%
      60–70%
      70–80%
      80–90%
      90–100%
  Bush
  •   50–60%
      70–80%
      80–90%
Republican primary runoff results[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Paxton (incumbent) 633,223 67.96%
Republican George P. Bush 298,577 32.04%
Total votes 931,800 100.00%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in runoff

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Eliminated in primary

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Declined

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Endorsements

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Joe Jaworski
Labor unions
Newspapers and other media
Organizations
Lee Merritt
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
State senators
Local officials
Organizations
  • Texas Organizing Project[41] (endorse Garza in the runoff)
Rochelle Mercedes Garza
U.S. Representatives
Local officials
  • Mike Fields, former judge of the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 14 and former Attorney General candidate[31]
Newspapers and other media
Individuals
  • Lee Merritt, civil rights attorney and former Attorney General candidate[31]
Labor unions
Organizations

First round

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Polling

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Graphical summary
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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Mike
Fields 		Rochelle
Garza 		Joe
Jaworski 		Lee
Merritt 		S. T-Bone
Raynor 		Other Undecided
Emerson College February 21–22, 2022 388 (LV) ± 4.9% 5% 30% 22% 16% 5% – 22%
UT Tyler February 8–15, 2022 479 (LV) ± 4.9% 9% 22% 13% 9% 6% – 42%
YouGov/UT January 28 – February 7, 2022 332 (LV) ± 5.4% 11% 41% 24% 15% 6% 3% –
UT Tyler January 18–25, 2022 460 (LV) ± 5.4% 7% 11% 11% 6% 4% – 61%
YouGov/UH January 14–24, 2022 616 (LV) ± 3.3% 6% 13% 10% 7% 6% – 57%
YouGov/UT/TT October 22–31, 2021 436 (RV) ± 4.7% – – 14% 8% – 6% 72%
YouGov/TXHPF October 14–27, 2021 – (LV) – – – 20% 20% – – 60%

Results

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Democratic primary results[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rochelle Mercedes Garza 438,134 42.97%
Democratic Joe Jaworski 202,140 19.82%
Democratic Lee Merritt 198,108 19.43%
Democratic Mike Fields 125,373 12.30%
Democratic S. T-Bone Raynor 55,944 5.49%
Total votes 1,019,699 100.00%

Runoff

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Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Rochelle
Garza 		Joe
Jaworski 		Undecided
UT Tyler May 2–10, 2022 501 (LV) ± 4.9% 35% 20% 46%
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 435 (LV) ± 4.7% 46% 31% 23%

Results

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Democratic primary runoff results[26]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rochelle Mercedes Garza 305,168 62.67%
Democratic Joe Jaworski 181,744 37.33%
Total votes 486,912 100.00%

Libertarian convention

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Declared

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General election

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On October 27, 2022, Libertarian nominee Mark Ash published an op-ed in The Amarillo Pioneer in which he blasted Ken Paxton as "the poster child for corruption and authoritarianism" and recommended that if voters were "reluctant to throw away their votes on a third-party candidate," they should vote for Democratic nominee Rochelle Garza instead. The Texas Democratic Party put out a statement claiming that Ash had endorsed Garza, but Ash clarified that he was not endorsing her, nor would he be dropping out of the race.[55]

Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[56] Leans R November 3, 2022
Elections Daily[57] Likely R November 1, 2022

Polling

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Graphical summary
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Ken
Paxton (R) 		Rochelle
Garza (D) 		Mark
Ash (L) 		Other Undecided
CWS Research (R)[A] November 2–5, 2022 786 (LV) ± 3.5% 44% 38% 5% – 12%
UT Tyler October 17–24, 2022 1,330 (RV) ± 2.9% 39% 35% 5% 4%[b] 18%
973 (LV) ± 3.4% 42% 38% 4% 3%[c] 12%
Emerson College October 17–19, 2022 1,000 (LV) ± 3.0% 47% 42% 4% – 8%
Siena College October 16–19, 2022 649 (LV) ± 5.1% 48% 42% – 2%[d] 8%
ActiVote June 23 – September 21, 2022 209 (LV) ± 7.0% 45% 43% 12% – –
Siena College September 14–18, 2022 651 (LV) ± 4.4% 47% 42% – – 11%
Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation September 6–15, 2022 1,172 (LV) ± 2.9% 47% 42% 3% – 8%
UT Tyler September 7–13, 2022 1,243 (RV) ± 2.9% 37% 30% 6% 6%[e] 20%
YouGov/UT August 26 – September 6, 2022 1,200 (RV) ± 2.8% 38% 33% 4% 5%[f] 21%
YouGov/UH/TSU August 11–29, 2022 1,312 (LV) ± 2.7% 45% 42% 3% – 10%
UT Tyler August 1–7, 2022 1,384 (RV) ± 2.8% 34% 32% 8% 7% 18%
1,199 (LV) ± 3.0% 36% 34% 8% 6% 16%
YouGov/UH June 27 – July 7, 2022 1,169 (RV) ± 2.9% 43% 40% 5% – 12%
1,006 (LV) ± 3.1% 46% 41% 4% – 9%
YouGov/UT June 16–24, 2022 1,200 (RV) ± 2.8% 37% 29% 5% 5% 24%
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 1,139 (LV) ± 2.6% 48% 42% 3% – 7%
Hypothetical polling
George P. Bush vs. Rochelle Garza
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		George P.
Bush (R) 		Rochelle
Garza (D) 		Mark
Ash (L) 		Undecided
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 1,139 (LV) ± 2.6% 39% 39% 7% 15%
George P. Bush vs. Joe Jaworski
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		George P.
Bush (R) 		Joe
Jaworski (D) 		Mark
Ash (L) 		Undecided
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 1,139 (LV) ± 2.6% 38% 39% 8% 15%
Ken Paxton vs. Joe Jaworski
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Ken
Paxton (R) 		Joe
Jaworski (D) 		Mark
Ash (L) 		Undecided
YouGov/TXHPF March 18–28, 2022 1,139 (LV) ± 2.6% 48% 41% 3% 8%
Ken Paxton vs. Justin Nelson
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Ken
Paxton (R) 		Justin
Nelson (D) 		Undecided
Data for Progress (D)[B] September 15–22, 2020 726 (LV) ± 3.6% 41% 37% 22%

Results

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2022 Texas Attorney General election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Ken Paxton (incumbent) 4,278,986 53.42% +2.85%
Democratic Rochelle Garza 3,497,267 43.66% −3.35%
Libertarian Mark Ash 233,750 2.92% +0.49%
Total votes 8,010,003 100.00%
Republican hold

By congressional district

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Paxton won 25 of 38 congressional districts.[58]

District Paxton Garza Representative
1st 76% 22% Louie Gohmert (117th Congress)
Nathaniel Moran (118th Congress)
2nd 61% 36% Dan Crenshaw
3rd 57% 39% Van Taylor (117th Congress)
Keith Self (118th Congress)
4th 64% 33% Pat Fallon
5th 62% 35% Lance Gooden
6th 63% 34% Jake Ellzey
7th 35% 63% Lizzie Fletcher
8th 66% 32% Kevin Brady (117th Congress)
Morgan Luttrell (118th Congress)
9th 23% 75% Al Green
10th 60% 37% Michael McCaul
11th 72% 25% August Pfluger
12th 58% 38% Kay Granger
13th 73% 24% Ronny Jackson
14th 65% 32% Randy Weber
15th 51% 47% Vicente Gonzalez (117th Congress)
Monica De La Cruz (118th Congress)
16th 34% 63% Veronica Escobar
17th 63% 34% Pete Sessions
18th 25% 72% Sheila Jackson Lee
19th 75% 23% Jodey Arrington
20th 32% 65% Joaquín Castro
21st 59% 38% Chip Roy
22nd 59% 39% Troy Nehls
23rd 53% 44% Tony Gonzales
24th 55% 41% Beth Van Duyne
25th 66% 31% Roger Williams
26th 59% 37% Michael Burgess
27th 62% 35% Michael Cloud
28th 45% 52% Henry Cuellar
29th 30% 68% Sylvia Garcia
30th 21% 76% Eddie Bernice Johnson (117th Congress)
Jasmine Crockett (118th Congress)
31st 59% 37% John Carter
32nd 33% 64% Colin Allred
33rd 25% 72% Marc Veasey
34th 41% 57% Mayra Flores (117th Congress)
Vicente Gonzalez (118th Congress)
35th 25% 72% Lloyd Doggett (117th Congress)
Greg Casar (118th Congress)
36th 67% 31% Brian Babin
37th 20% 77% Lloyd Doggett
38th 60% 38% Wesley Hunt

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ "Someone else" with 4%
  3. ^ "Someone else" with 3%
  4. ^ "Another candidate" with 1%; "Not going to vote" with 1%
  5. ^ "Someone else" with 6%
  6. ^ "Someone else" with 5%
Partisan clients
  1. ^ a b c Poll sponsored by Defend Texas Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton
  2. ^ Poll sponsored by the Defend Students Action Fund

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Barragan, James (November 8, 2022). "Ken Paxton wins third term as attorney general, beating Democrat Rochelle Garza". Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "TEXAS". Stateageelections.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Gates, Billy (June 10, 2021). "Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announces bid for re-election in 2022". Kxan.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. ^ @DecisionDeskHQ (May 25, 2022). "Decision Desk HQ projects Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) is the winner of the Republican nomination for Attorney General…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "George P. Bush announces bid for Texas attorney general". The Hill. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Roy, Reagan (November 22, 2021). "IT'S OFFICIAL: US Rep. Louie Gohmert announces he's running for Texas Attorney General". CBS. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "George P. Bush, Ken Paxton prepare for a bitter primary runoff battle for Texas attorney general". March 3, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Patrick, Svitek (June 21, 2021). "Eva Guzman, former Texas Supreme Court justice, officially starts campaign for attorney general". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 23, 2021). "Republican state Rep. Matt Krause drops out of attorney general's race to run for Tarrant County district attorney". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "George P. Bush Scrubs Endorsement From Indicted Sheriff Linked to the Oath Keepers". Rolling Stone. November 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Wildstein, David (November 15, 2021). "Bramnick raising money for George P. Bush in Texas race". Newjerseyglobe.com.
  12. ^ "HANAK ENDORSES GEORGE P. BUSH FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL". Kwhi.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "ACU seeks political balance, but Texas AG candidate Merritt on historic mission". Abilene Reporter News. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Time to vote in attorney general, Tarrant DA runoffs. Here are our recommendations". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Editorial: Our recommendations for the Texas runoff elections". San Antonio Express-News. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Mattress Mack shoots ad endorsing George P. Bush for Texas AG". March 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Ward, Myah (July 26, 2021). "Trump endorses scandal-plagued Ken Paxton for Texas attorney general". Politico. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC) announced its endorsement of Ken Paxton for re-election as Texas Attorney General". American Conservative Union. January 24, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  19. ^ "2022 General Election Endorsements". August 18, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  20. ^ "Editorial: We recommend Eva Guzman for Texas Attorney General in the Republican primary". Houston Chronicle. February 13, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Editorial: In AG races, we recommend Guzman in GOP primary, Garza for Dems". Austin American-Statesman. February 20, 2022.
  22. ^ Taylor, Goldenstein (November 22, 2021). "State Rep. Matt Krause decides to run for Tarrant District Attorney, not Texas AG". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Results | 2022 March 1st Republican Primary". Secretary of State of Texas.
  24. ^ a b "Candidate Information". Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Astudillo, Carla (March 10, 2022) [March 1, 2022]. "Election results: How Texas voted in the 2022 primary". Decision Desk HQ. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Texas Election Results - Unofficial Results - Attorney General". Secretary of State of Texas.
  27. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 1, 2021). "Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  28. ^ Grieder, Erica (September 16, 2020). "Grieder: Texas AG Paxton draws 2022 challenger who vows to work across the aisle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  29. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor (January 6, 2022). "Once a Republican, ex-Harris County judge Mike Fields running for Texas AG as a Democrat". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt concedes dem AG primary loss, endorses Rochelle Garza". March 10, 2022.
  31. ^ a b c d Barragan, James; Zhang, Andrew (March 10, 2022). "Democrat Lee Merritt suspends campaign for attorney general nine days after election day, clearing path for runoff". Texas Tribune.
  32. ^ Svitek, Patrick (July 13, 2021). "Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, a Democrat, launches campaign against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton". Texas Tribune. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  33. ^ "Qualified Candidates". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "BIDEN AND TRUMP ARE RUNNING NECK AND NECK IN ARIZONA, FLORIDA, AND TEXAS" (PDF). Filesforprogress.org. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  35. ^ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Releases New Round of Runoff Endorsements". Texas AFL–CIO. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  36. ^ a b "March 1 Democratic Primary Endorsements (No Filler)". The Austin Chronicle. February 10, 2022.
  37. ^ "Opinion: We recommend in the Democratic primary for Texas attorney general". The Dallas Morning News. February 10, 2022. We recommend Galveston lawyer Joe Jaworski in this crowded Democratic primary for Texas attorney general.
  38. ^ The Editorial Board (February 13, 2022). "Editorial: We recommend Joe Jaworski for Texas Attorney General in Democratic primary". Houston Chronicle.
  39. ^ "Voting / Endorsements". Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.
  40. ^ a b c d Barragán, James (February 23, 2022). "Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt takes heat for lack of Texas law license in his bid for attorney general". The Texas Tribune.
  41. ^ Sessions, Kennedy (December 17, 2021). "Texas Organizing Project endorses Merritt for AG". Texas Signal. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  42. ^ a b "Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign". Texas Tribune. November 1, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  43. ^ "Texas AFL-CIO COPE Finalizes Nov. 8 Endorsements". Texas AFL–CIO. June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  44. ^ "2022 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS". Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  45. ^ "Endorsed Leaders - Annie's List". Annie's List.
  46. ^ "State and Local Candidates". EMILY's List. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  47. ^ "End Citizens United // Let America Vote Endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". July 12, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  48. ^ "Equality Texas endorses Garza for Texas AG". September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  49. ^ "Latino Victory Fund endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". Texas Signal. January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  50. ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice America endorses Rochelle Garza for Texas Attorney General". NARAL Pro-Choice America. February 24, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  51. ^ "Texas College Democrats endorse candidates for statewide office". January 19, 2022.
  52. ^ "2022 Primary Runoff Endorsements". Planned Parenthood.
  53. ^ "TOP PAC Endorses Rochelle Garza for TX Attorney General". April 5, 2022.
  54. ^ Dikeman, Neal (April 11, 2022). "Texas Libertarians & Greens Nominate Statewide Candidates for November". www.texasfreepress.com. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  55. ^ "Libertarian Mark Ash recommends Rochelle Garza over Ken Paxton in Texas AG race". October 29, 2022.
  56. ^ "The Attorneys General: A Dozen Races Dot the Competitive Landscape". Sabato's Crystal Ball. September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  57. ^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  58. ^ @averyhatestwt (March 10, 2023). "TX Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General results by CD; I'm not sure if this has already been done but I haven't seen it before" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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Official campaign websites
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