Republican Congressman Chip Roy said on 21 August he will not seek a fourth term in the U.S. House and instead will run for Texas attorney general in 2026. In a campaign video and subsequent radio appearance, the three-term lawmaker declared, “I want to go fight for Texas,” positioning himself as a defender of the state’s “liberty, freedom and self-determination.” Roy’s entry reshapes a crowded Republican primary that opened after incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a bid for the U.S. Senate against fellow Republican John Cornyn. Other declared or expected contenders include Paxton’s former deputy Aaron Reitz and state senators Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman. A former federal prosecutor and onetime top aide to Senator Ted Cruz, Roy has alternated between supporting and sparring with former President Donald Trump and House GOP leaders. His departure will create an open seat in Texas’s Hill Country-to-San Antonio 21st District and removes another high-profile member of the House Freedom Caucus as several of its insurgent conservatives seek statewide office.