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Republican

Incumbent

Joan Huffman

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Republican

Incumbent

Joan Huffman

Website

Texas Republican Attorney General nominee?

$322.9K

MAY 27, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleState Senator

PartyRepublican

Political ideologyConservative Republican

Age69 years old (Aug 17, 1956)

GenderFemale

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).

SourcesShow

senate.texas.gov en.wikipedia.org wikidata.org joanhuffman.com texaspolicyresearch.com ivoterguide.com lrl.texas.gov teachthevote.atpe.org texasscorecard.com ballotready.org tceq.texas.gov congress.gov txroundtable.com journals.senate.texas.gov cdn.ballotpedia.org reddit.com texastribune.org comptroller.texas.gov ktrh.iheart.com houstonpublicmedia.org justfacts.votesmart.org abc13.com houstonchronicle.com texassenategop.com expressnews.com tpr.org chron.com ltgov.texas.gov keranews.org people.com thetexasvoice.com facebook.com instagram.com cbsnews.com ballotpedia.org legis1.com newsfromthestates.com spectrumlocalnews.com politico.com thetexan.news wfaa.com docquery.fec.gov fec.gov huffman.house.gov senate.gov judiciary.senate.gov govinfo.gov

Positions

LiberalConservative

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.

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.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJul 15, 2026

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.

senate.texas.gov+46

Articles

TDThe Dallas Morning News2 months ago