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State of Texas: GOP AG hopefuls agree on policy but clash over records in Dallas debate

New episodes of State of Texas are on KXAN or the KXAN+ app every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Don’t want to wait? Scroll down to continue watching this week’s segments now.

DALLAS (Nexstar) – The four candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Texas Attorney General — State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas — agree on almost everything. However, that didn’t stop them from attacking each other on their records and experience during Tuesday night’s Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) debate.

During the debate, hosted by BlazeTV’s Allie Beth Stuckey, candidates answered 16 questions on the following topics: Sharia law, entitlement fraud, border security, antisemitism, abortion-inducing pills, transgender ideology, protecting women’s spaces, fighting other states environmental regulations, combatting liberal district attorneys, fentanyl, marijuana, gambling, the threat of China, the open primary system, the Supreme Court and the limits of the AG’s power.

Throughout discussions of those topics, all four basically agreed on how each case ought to be handled, although there were sometimes a few differences on the political reality of the situation.

For example, Stuckey asked, “Should Texas adopt a closed primary system, and what role should the Attorney General play in that process?” Texas currently has an open primary system, allowing all registered voters to choose a Republican or Democratic ballot, even if they prefer the other party. The Republican Party of Texas has sued the state in an attempt to make primary voters have to register with a party, claiming the open primary law on the books violates their rights.

“Yes,” Roy immediately responded. “And enforce the law.”

“Well, I think the legislature needs to write that law so the Attorney General would know what to enforce and how to enforce it,” Huffman pushed back. “And they have not to this point. So I would wait and see what the legislature does, but I will enforce any law the legislature passed.”

The first contentious moment came during the question on border security, after Roy touted his recording working under the current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was in the audience.

“Don’t be fooled when (Roy) tells you that he was Paxton’s chief deputy and he wants to cite his record there,” Reitz said. Reitz served in a similar role and is endorsed by Paxton in this race. “He was so ineffective — so bad at serving as Paxton’s deputy — that Paxton fired him.”

Roy denied the claim and countered Reitz’s Paxton endorsement.

“(U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas) has put his full confidence in me to serve as the Attorney General of Texas,” Roy said. Both Roy and Reitz have spent time as Cruz’s chief of staff.

While attacks flew throughout, they ramped up at the very end. Roy, the frontrunner according to a recent University of Houston poll, used his closing arguments to take potshots at Reitz and Middleton.

“I’m not a trust fund kid, spending my family’s money,” Roy said. Middleton runs the Middleton Oil Company and committed $10 million of his own money to his campaign when he first announced.

“I didn’t get a precious Senate-confirmed spot, spend 70 days in the (Trump) administration, so I could ladder-climb back home in Texas,” Roy continued. Reitz briefly served as the U.S. assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy in early 2025, before leaving to run for Attorney General.

Middleton took his closing argument to respond.

To find out more about the candidates, read our debate preview here.

“What we don’t need is somebody who (would be) an attorney general like Chip Roy, who spent 10 years fighting President Trump, defending (former Wyoming U.S. Rep.) Liz Cheney, calling us MAGA F-ers, and we could kiss his you know what if we didn’t like it,” Middleton said. “We can’t afford that in the AG’s office.”

If none of the candidates win more than 50% of the vote in the Republican primary, the top two will face off in a May runoff election.

The Democratic primary for Attorney General could also go to a runoff. Polling from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston shows a close race between Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski, and former FBI agent Tony Box.

The poll, released before the start of early voting, showed 40% of likely primary voters saying they were undecided in the race. The poll showed no Democratic candidate close to the threshold to avoid a runoff.

Taylor Rehmet sworn in as new state senator after rare Democratic win in red district

There’s a new state senator at the Texas Capitol. Taylor Rehmet took the oath of office Thursday, weeks after the Democrat pulled off a surprise victory in a special election in Senate District 9 — a traditionally Republican seat in Tarrant County.

Family members, friends and union leaders joined Rehmet in the Senate chamber for the swearing-in ceremony.

Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the special election to represent Senate District 9, which includes parts of Fort Worth and surrounding communities in Tarrant County. The district has long leaned Republican. In 2024, voters there favored former President Donald Trump by 17 percentage points.

Rehmet is the first Democrat to represent the district in decades. But the Air Force veteran and former union leader said his focus will not be on party labels.

“The people who sent us here are not red districts or blue districts. They’re families trying to build a life with dignity,” Rehmet said during his remarks after taking the oath.

Rehmet will hold the Senate seat through the end of the year. However, he and Wambsganss are set to face off again in November’s general election, when voters will decide who represents the district during the 2027 legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate, did not attend the ceremony. Patrick has endorsed Wambsganss and has pledged to help her win the seat in November.

“We will come out fighting with a new resolve, and we will take this seat back in November,” Patrick wrote in a post on social media hours after the special election runoff.

After the swearing-in, Rehmet pushed back on suggestions that he may struggle to hold the seat long term.

“Well, I won twice before. I don’t think it’s a fluke,” Rehmet told reporters.

“My role as senator is the same as when I was campaigning. I have to go and talk to the voters — now constituents — and help them with their issues, listen and build a plan and agenda for whenever I win in November and we start the 2027 legislative session,” he said.

The Senate District 9 seat became vacant last summer when longtime state Sen. Kelly Hancock stepped down in order to be appointed interim Texas comptroller. Hancock is now running in the Republican primary for the open comptroller seat.

That resignation triggered the special election that ultimately led to Rehmet’s victory. For now, Rehmet’s win gives Democrats 12 seats in the 31-member Texas Senate. Republicans continue to firmly control the chamber with 18 seats. One seat remains vacant.

‘Risks to children.’ Why Texas is warning about unregulated home child care

The state has found hundreds of day care providers operating out of their homes without a license, lacking oversight and potentially putting kids at risk. 

Children at Risk, a statewide children’s advocacy organization studying child care needs, said family child care programs are still recovering after the pandemic. According to the nonprofit, Texas lost 21% of child care providers from March 2020 to September 2021. Out of those closed programs, 79% were child care homes. 

Map showing the total number of licensed home child care operations located in each Texas county. Source: Texas Health and Human Services. (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey)

KXAN found Texas has nearly 1,600 licensed child care homes as of January. Some families turn to home day cares started by family, neighbors, friends or recommended on social media — but they may not be licensed.

“We want to make sure that if you are taking someone’s money, to care for their most precious thing in the world, their child, we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make sure that — that child is returned to them safe,” said Kim Kofron, senior director of education for Children at Risk. 

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, or HHSC, is the licensing agency for child care operations.

“Regulated operations are required to comply with minimum standards that ensure the health, safety, and well-being of children receiving services in child care settings. HHSC Child Care Regulation inspects registered and licensed operations annually and investigates when intake reports are received alleging violations with minimum standards, rules or law,” said Thomas Vazquez, a spokesperson for HHSC. 

Chart showing the current number of licensed child care establishments in Texas by the type of operation. Source: Texas Health and Human Services. (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey)

Child Care Home Provider Types

Licensed Child Care Home

Provide care to seven to 12 children ages 13 or younger for at least two hours, but less than 24 hours per day, for three or more days a week. Operation is in provider’s home. Must meet minimum standards and receive at least one unannounced inspection per year.

Registered Child Care Home 

Provide care for up to six unrelated children who are ages 13 or younger during school hours. Can also provide care and supervision for six additional school-age children after school hours. Care should be at least four hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more consecutive weeks, or four hours a day for 40 or more days in a 12-month period. Operation is in provider’s home. Must meet minimum standards and receive at least one unannounced inspection every one to two years. 

Provides care for up to three unrelated children for at least four hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more consecutive weeks, or four hours a day for 40 or more days in a 12-month period. Operation is in provider’s home. Must meet minimum standards and is not routinely inspected unless a report is received alleging: child abuse, neglect or exploitation; an immediate risk of danger to the health or safety of a child; a violation of minimum standards for listed family homes; or the caregiver is caring for more children than the permit allows. 

The agency tracks unregulated operations it discovers. Child care advocates — like Children at Risk — explained most of those are in homes. A KXAN analysis found that operations without oversight are on the rise. 

HHSC said the state established the Unregulated Operations Unit in 2019, which includes 31 investigators statewide. One of the unit’s primary responsibilities is to identify child care facilities operating without a license, certification, registration or listing as required by the agency. 

HHSC explained to KXAN that unregulated operations are not inspected and do not require background checks. The agency added these operations also do not meet physical environment, training and other basic health and safety requirements and can present real risks to children. 

Chart showing the total number of unregulated child care operations identified in each fiscal year from 2015 to 2024. Source: Texas Health and Human Services. (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey)

HHSC data show the number of unregulated operations in the Austin region, which includes 30 counties, was trending down until the pandemic, when it showed a spike to 274 in 2021. That dropped to 152 in 2022 but rose to 311 by 2024. HHSC couldn’t explain why the numbers dropped in 2022 and 2023 before rising again, but Vazquez added that the agency continues to proactively seek out people or organizations who may be operating a child care operation without a permit.

“Our top priority at HHSC is the health and safety of children in the child care operations we regulate,” Vazquez added. 

HHSC said complaints regarding unregulated child care operations can be filed by calling the toll-free Texas Abuse Hotline 24/7 at 800-252-5400 or visiting Txabusehotline.org, People can also call the local Child Care Regulation Office or make a report on the Search Texas Child Care website.

The agency works closely with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which investigates day care abuse and neglect. DFPS communicates any statute, rule or suspected minimum standards violations to HHSC. 

The state also tracks the number of unregulated day care abuse and neglect investigations. DFPS data shows the number of investigations in the Austin region are down from 29 in 2021 to 27 last year. KXAN has requested records to understand the reasons for the investigations, but those records have not been made available yet. 

HHSC encourages parents to research their options, find regulated child care and check the operation’s inspection record on the state’s child care search website.

A new law passed last year could help more operators become licensed. Senate Bill 599 states home-based child care providers must still follow state rules set by HHSC but stops cities and counties from creating extra health and safety rules. 

Advocates and state leaders have pointed to a few examples of how regulations impacted providers before the law went into effect, including requiring an industrial-grade sprinkler system in an operator’s home, multiple fire extinguishers beyond what the state required at another home and not allowing any licensed business to be in a home.

State Rep. Aicha Davis sponsored a new law removing red tape impacting child care homes. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

“There are so many home-based providers who want to make sure that they’re regulated, who wants to make sure that they’re doing everything they can to keep those kids safe,” explained State Rep. Aicha Davis, D-DeSoto, a former teacher who sponsored the legislation. “And we want to make sure they have clear guidance and understanding of who they need to communicate with to be licensed to make sure they’re adhering to the best safety guidelines that they possibly can.”

Texas patients could benefit as Congress approves $100 million Alzheimer’s funding increase

Advocates for Alzheimer’s and dementia research say now is the moment for groundbreaking research into the cause, potential cures, prevention and intervention, following a more than $100 million increase in federal funding. The money was approved by Congress and signed by the president earlier this month.

According to the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement and the Alzheimer’s Association, the move marks “another major step forward in the national effort to confront one of the most urgent public health challenges facing the country.”

“This allows us to continue moving forward — to put our foot on the gas pedal — and continue to look for different treatments, care options, prevention strategies, risk reduction, so that this remains a priority,” said Chelsea Rangel, the association’s Grassroots Advocacy Director for the Southwest & Mountain Territory.

The Congressional spending package for fiscal year 2026 secures a $100 million increase for research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and includes $41.5 million to implement the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a program aimed at creating stronger public health infrastructure to promote dementia risk reduction, early detection and diagnosis, prevention of avoidable hospitalizations, and dementia caregiving. It funds local and state programs, including in Texas.

Currently, the Texas Department of State Health Services is utilizing a previous BOLD grant for $500,000 per year over a five-year period. According to a spokesperson for the department, the funds are helping implement a plan for battling the disease, enhancing collaboration around Alzheimer’s initiatives, and educating the public on brain health in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife.

Alzheimer’s disease is a major public health issue in the state, according to Texas DSHS. The most recent data reveals the state ranks third in the United States for the number of people living with Alzheimer’s, and second in the number of Alzheimer’s deaths.

In November, Texas voters approved the creation of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).

While it’s not clear exactly where the newly-approved BOLD funding will go, Rangel said it’s exciting to watch the growing momentum in Texas, adding, “There seems to be a special emphasis in Texas. Now, I would say we all know everything’s bigger in Texas, and it really seems like we are going to be leading this effort at the national level as well.”

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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