GOP state lawmaker joins crowded race for Texas AG
State Rep. Matt Krause, a Fort Worth Republican and founding member of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, is jumping into a crowded primary race for Attorney General Ken Paxton's seat, pitching himself as the staunchest conservative of the three challengers.
“Our campaign is going to be focused on being that faithful conservative fighter that Texans can be proud of,” Krause said. “What Texas primary voters in particular are looking for is a proven record of conservative principles, of conservative values, and fighting for the issues they're most concerned about … Over the last five sessions, I think folks have seen that I'm about as conservative as you get in the Texas House.”
The fifth-term state representative and constitutional attorney joins Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman in taking on the incumbent, whom all have described as unfit for the job because of the legal issues swirling around him.
Krause, 41, was first elected in 2012 and has continually edged out Democratic opponents over the last three elections, even as his district becomes more competitive. In 2020, his Tarrant County District 93 was a target of Texas Democrats, but Krause won by a 9 percentage point margin.
The Tyler-born and San Anto
nio-raised Republican is secretary and treasurer and one of the original members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group that describes its aim as “amplifying the voices of liberty-minded, grassroots Texans.” He also serves as chair of the House’s General Investigating Committee.
Paxton has been under indictment since 2015 for felony securities fraud charges and last year became the subject of an FBI investigation after a handful of his top aides accused him of bribery and abuse of office.
While he’s denied all wrongdoing, the foundation of widespread Republican support that once made the idea of even one primary challenger inconceivable is starting to show cracks. A Hearst Newspapers analysis in July found that more than two dozen of Paxton’s previous donors cut checks for Bush in the weeks after he announced his campaign.
Krause and Paxton have shared a close relationship over their political careers. Krause endorsed Paxton both in his initial 2014 campaign and again in 2018.
In 2015, Krause downplayed the felony securities fraud indictment, telling the Texas Tribune people ought to have “just a little bit of caution with it.” The latest allegations, however, have given him pause, he said.
“If information had come out that eight top lieutenants had resigned, alleging some pretty serious violations of Texas law and having the FBI look into that, that would have certainly changed my view on the race,” Krause said about his previous endorsements of Paxton. “As you get new information, that kind of changes things.”
Krause said that he reached out to Paxton as a friend this week to let him know he would be announcing.
Former President Donald Trump, who won the state by 6 percent in 2020 and holds considerable sway with Republican primary voters, in July endorsed Paxton.
Krause helped usher a raft of Republican priority bills through the statehouse this year, including permitless carry of handguns, a measure limiting how public school teachers can talk about systemic racism in the classroom and limits on when social media companies may block or censor users, all of which he co-authored.
He also authored a failed bill this year, one of several similar bills that incensed Democrats, that would have prevented doctors from performing gender reassignment surgeries and prescribing medications to help transgender children transition, though the surgeries are uncommon for minors.
In 2019, Krause sponsored the so-called “Save Chick-fil-A” bill that barred Texas government agencies from punishing people and companies for affiliating with or donating to a religious organization. The bill, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed, was a reaction to the San Antonio City Council’s decision to ban Chick-Fil-A from its airport.
The Texas House has kept him busy and he’s enjoyed the work, but Krause said the FBI investigation of Paxton raised red flags for him that “we may have an issue here.” He held back as Bush, then Guzman waded into the race.
But “as more challengers got in, nobody really seemed to get any kind of traction,” Krause said. “Talking to various stakeholders, grassroots activists, donors, even other elected officials, (we) kind of came to that consensus that there was a need for a fourth person to get in, and I think with my record and background I was a good fit for that.”
Two candidates for attorney general are in the running on the Democratic primary ticket: Dallas-area civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.