Incumbent
Joan Huffman
Incumbent Republican candidate for Attorney General in Texas
Texas Republican Attorney General nominee?
$322.9K
MAY 27, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleState Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age70 years old (Aug 17, 1956)
GenderFemale
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LocationTexas
BackgroundAttorney
EducationLouisiana State University (B.A.)
Notable personal detailsJoan J. Huffman is a Republican attorney and public official who has represented Texas Senate District 17 since 2008. She previously worked in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor, advancing to chief felony prosecutor, and later served as a judge of the 183rd Criminal District Court in Harris County. She earned a B.A. from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law (now South Texas College of Law Houston).
SourcesShowHide
Political Positions
Economy & Taxes
Joan Huffman supports conservative fiscal policy that emphasizes tax relief for homeowners and businesses, restrained government spending, and targeted tax exemptions. As chair of the Senate Finance Committee she sponsored budgets prioritizing large property tax cuts and conservative budgeting principles while proposing selective spending on priorities such as teacher pay and infrastructure. She has also backed eliminating the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.
Healthcare
Joan Huffman supports expanding access to care, lowering costs, and increasing transparency. She sponsored and passed measures to expand telemedicine, cap insulin prices, increase funding for mental health and women’s health programs, eliminate sales tax on certain health products, and authored legislation to create a dementia research institute.
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Immigration & Border
Supports strong border enforcement and increased funding for state border operations; has sponsored legislation to restrict rights and release options for people in Texas without legal status (e.g., denying bail, preventing community-time credits) and supported construction/funding for border barriers.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Joan Huffman identifies as pro-life and supports restrictions on abortion, emphasizing protection of the unborn. She was listed as a joint author on the Texas Senate’s SB 8 (the Texas “heartbeat”/six-week abortion restriction) and public materials highlight her stance of "standing up for the unborn."
Public Safety & Guns
Joan Huffman has a pro-gun record as a Texas state senator, voting for permitless/constitutional-carry provisions and other measures that expand where Texans may carry firearms, while also sponsoring legislation to improve reporting of certain court mental-health determinations to the federal background-check system. She has received an endorsement from the NRA and has described licensed open carry as having little effect on law enforcement.
Latest News
Joan Huffman ran in the Texas Republican attorney general primary but finished third with about 15% of the vote, putting her out of the runoff. The runoff will now be between Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy. Earlier coverage had highlighted Huffman as one of the Republican candidates emphasizing conservative credentials in the open race.
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Campaign Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2024Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
2024
LatestCycle 2024
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements