U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) announced on Wednesday he will throw his hat into the ring as a Republican candidate for Texas attorney general, citing the current AG, Ken Paxton, as not having done enough to secure the state from waves of criminal aliens crossing illegally from Mexico, among other things.
"I had announced a couple of days ago that if I could raise a million dollars that I would run … for attorney general, and as of now, the money, it's been raised. I will be running for the Texas Attorney General's job," Gohmert said Monday in a video this week announcing his candidacy, adding that he made his decision to run after reaching his fundraising goal of $1 million, which came from 100,000 voters donating $100 apiece.
"Our priority will be election integrity so that every legal vote counts," he added.
He will join a field of GOP candidates that already includes the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, George P. Bush; former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman; and Texas Republican Matt Krause.
"Though our current AG has had two terms, it seems he really started working harder after so many of his most honorable and very top people in the AG's office left complaining of criminal conduct," Gohmert continued. "If you allow me, I will not wait to be my busiest until after there's some bad press about legal improprieties. I'll start boldly protecting your rights on day one."
Gohmert went on to address other issues he feels are important to most Texans.
"Unconstitutional mandates will not be tolerated from anyone. Parental consent is still an important concept in America and especially in Texas," Gohmert, a former state judge and a staunch conservative supporter of former President Donald Trump, continued.
Circling back to voter integrity, Gohmert said he agreed with Paxton's decision following the 2020 election to sue states he believed unconstitutionally changed voting laws to accommodate for COVID-19, but said that the current AG hasn't done enough to address the issue in the Lone Star State.
https://youtu.be/Lqfmgb-zjyI
Separately, in an interview with Newsmax TV, Gohmert also addressed the illegal alien invasion.
"We have got to control our borders. There's more that needs to be done. There's more that the attorney general's office could do. And so, that's one of the issues that has concerned me greatly, including election integrity. I feel like our attorney general could — should have done more," Gohmert said.
"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," says his campaign website.
Fox News also reported:
Gohmert's decision comes after former employees accused Paxton of using his power to help Austin investor Nate Paul, a significant contributor to his campaign.
Paxton fired the employees, claiming they had gone "rogue" and made "unsubstantiated claims" about him. The employees then filed a lawsuit claiming they were fired as retaliation for reporting his behavior to law enforcement.
One insider said that Gohmert's primary motivation, however, is preventing Bush from winning.
"Louie is 68, knows that at age 68, he probably won’t go on to be governor," Newsmax columnist John Gizzi wrote last week. "So he’s making this move because he feels George P. has to be stopped and [incumbent Attorney General Ken] Paxton is tainted and may not be able to beat him."
But a Republican victory isn't assured; in 2018, Paxton's Democratic opponent received 47 percent of the vote. And, according to Gizzi, they are more confident for 2022, especially if Paxton -- who has been under indictment for securities fraud since 2015 -- is the opponent.
"Democrats, who drew 47% of the vote against Paxton in 2018, smell blood and have found a first-rate candidate for attorney general: Joe Jaworski, former mayor of Galveston and grandson of legendary Texas 'superlawyer' and onetime Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski," he wrote.
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