Louie Gohmert announces he will run for Texas Attorney General

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, announced Monday that he will run for Texas Attorney General against Republican incumbent Ken Paxton.

"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 during an appearance on Newsmax Monday.

Gohmert's decision comes after he asked on an exploratory campaign website for 100,000 citizens to donate $100 to his campaign, with a goal of reaching $1 million by Nov. 19. The GOP lawmaker launched the website on Nov. 9, saying the proper documents had "been filed to seek donations."

"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," the website says.

Gohmert will join a Republican field that already includes commissioner of the Texas General Land Office George P. Bush, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and Texas Republican State Rep. Matt Krause.

"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.

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.

Paxton won the 2018 race against Democratic nominee Justin Nelson with 50.6% of the vote.

Gohmert has represented Texas' First Congressional District in the House since 2005.

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