Rep. Chip Roy lost the GOP runoff for Texas attorney general after a challenger to his right painted him as insufficiently loyal to MAGA.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton’s victory Tuesday proves that fealty to President Donald Trump continues to be the defining issue for Republican primary voters.

Middleton convinced voters he was the best Republican to carry the MAGA torch from outgoing Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is competing in his own Republican runoff Tuesday, against Sen. John Cornyn, for the Texas Senate seat.

Roy, a Freedom Caucus member, failed to overcome accusations that he betrayed the conservative movement by occasionally breaking with Trump, both over fiscal spending and in voting to certify Trump’s 2020 election loss. Trump made no endorsement in the race.

Middleton finished ahead of Roy in the March primary, knocking out two other opponents. A wealthy oil businessman from Galveston, Texas, Middleton loaned his campaign more than $16 million.

If he were to get elected as attorney general, Middleton would help shape the future of the Republican Party post-Trump, playing a key role leading the conservative legal movement.

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