The state senator representing Galveston County leads the race for Texas attorney general, with nearly a quarter of voters undecided.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, leads Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas by five points in the contest to succeed Ken Paxton. A University of Texas poll released the week of Aug. 25 found 40% of registered voters backing Middleton, 35% supporting Johnson and 3% favoring Libertarian Tom Oxford. Twenty-two percent remain undecided.

The poll carried a margin of error of 2.83 percentage points.

The attorney general's office oversees child support collection and enforcement, litigation involving the federal government and lawsuits by the state against private industries. The past two attorneys general, John Cornyn and Greg Abbott, used the office as a springboard to higher office. Paxton is the current Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.

That five-point margin is unusually tight for a Texas statewide race. James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at UT-Austin, told Houston Public Media that a Republican running statewide should typically lead by nine to 12 points.

"This is a very dynamic race," Henson said. "At five points, it's indicative of how the two parties are fairly competitive in this race and certainly more competitive than we usually expect them to be in Texas."

Middleton represents Senate District 11, which includes League City and the rest of Galveston County. He won the Republican nomination on May 26, defeating U.S. Rep. Chip Roy in a primary runoff by more than 10 points after campaigning as "MAGA Mayes Middleton."

He spent heavily to get there. Texas Ethics Commission records show Middleton donated more than $3 million to his own campaign and loaned it an additional $5 million between late February and mid-May. That spending left him with less than $118,000 in cash on hand at the end of June. Johnson, by contrast, reported more than $290,000 in the bank.

Henson said Johnson is "a solid candidate, which has not always been the case in these down-ballot races for Democrats."

Johnson, speaking with Houston Public Media, criticized Middleton's readiness for the office. He said he had not heard Middleton outline plans to work with district attorneys, investigate political corruption, protect states' rights or advise state agencies. Middleton did not respond to multiple interview requests from Houston Public Media for its Sept. 2 report. His quotes in the Houston Public Media report came from a separate CBS News interview, in which he framed the race as "a spiritual battle for the future of our state."

The Texas Republican Party said on X on Sept. 2 that Middleton is prepared to serve as the state's next attorney general and would continue fighting for border security and conservative values.

Early voting in Galveston County runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30, with hours varying by day. League City has four early voting sites: the League City Annex at 174 Calder Rd., The Crossings at 255 N. Egret Bay Blvd., the Public Works Operation Center at 1701 W. League City Pkwy. and Hometown Heroes Park at 1011 E. League City Pkwy. Schedules are available through the Galveston County elections office. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.