AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The already-crowded GOP primary field for Texas Attorney General may be adding another contender, as U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert is reportedly considering a run for the office.
Gohmert (R-Tyler) was set to make a campaign announcement Tuesday morning in Tyler, but a campaign website went live around the same time. The 68-year old attorney has served in the House since 2005, and is seeking donations totaling $1 million by Nov. 19 in order to fund his candidacy.
If Gohmert (R-Tyler) runs, he would be the fourth challenger on the GOP side against incumbent Ken Paxton. Land Commissioner George P. Bush, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, and state Rep. Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth) have all declared their intent to run for the office.
"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.
Paxton, a two-term incumbent, has been under indictment since 2015 for felony securities fraud charges. He's also facing an FBI investigation related to corruption accusations by former aides last year. Paxton has denied any wrongdoing in both cases.
“It will take more than $1,000,000 to win against the current Attorney General’s many millions of dollars in his account, but that amount to start with will allow a statewide campaign to have a chance,” the site reads. “Texas & our nation hang in the balance.”
Part of the intense interest in the race is Republicans' stranglehold on statewide offices in Texas, with no Democrat winning election in a statewide race since 1994. Gohmert, like his fellow Republicans, hopes to use a focus on Paxton's legal troubles to convince voters to choose an alternative.
A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released last week showed Paxton far ahead of his announced rivals. Paxton led the field with 48% of registered voters, while 16% said they would vote for Bush, 3% for Krause, and 2% for Guzman. 27% of respondents had no opinion on the attorney general race.
The filing deadline for candidates is Dec. 13.
