Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) officially launched his campaign for Texas attorney general on Thursday, entering a competitive Republican primary to replace current Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is vacating the position to run for the U.S. Senate.

“Texans’ next attorney general must have a proven record of fighting to preserve, protect, and defend our legacy,” Roy said in his campaign launch video posted Thursday. His decision comes after weeks of speculation about his candidacy for the state’s top law enforcement post.

The 2026 race will be the first open attorney general contest in Texas since 2014, when Paxton was first elected. Paxton is now challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a high-stakes GOP Senate primary next year.

Roy joins several other prominent Republicans in the attorney general race, including state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman, as well as Aaron Reitz, a former Trump administration official and ex-Paxton aide.

A member of the House of Representatives since 2019, Roy is widely recognized as a key figure in the House Freedom Caucus. Known for his willingness to challenge party leadership, Roy has also clashed with former President Donald Trump on fiscal issues and previously urged Paxton—his former boss—to resign in 2020 over bribery allegations. These past tensions with Paxton and Trump could influence the dynamics of the Republican primary.