{"id":2582526,"date":"2026-03-22T07:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-chip-roys-fighter-mentality-be-his-political-demise\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T07:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:32:13","slug":"will-chip-roys-fighter-mentality-be-his-political-demise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-chip-roys-fighter-mentality-be-his-political-demise\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Chip Roy&#8217;s fighter mentality be his political demise?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwill-chip-roys-fighter-mentality-be-his-political-demise%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582526&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Chip Roy, a conservative Texas firebrand and Rules Commitee member, is headed into a high-stakes Republican runoff for attorney general against Sen. Mayes Middleton after neither candidate won a Trump endorsement in the contest. the race, set for May 26, follows a primary where Middleton led Roy, suggesting turnout could determine the outcome in a state where runoff turnout is typically low. The top-tier opponent to succeed Attorney general Ken Paxton heads into the runoff amid broader Texas GOP tensions and ongoing Paxton turmoil.<\/p>\n<p>Roy is known for his disruptive, principled conservatism-fighting for fiscal restraint, border security, and bold confrontations with those he views as not <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >meeting conservative standards<\/a>. He has also been willing to speak out against district attorneys and, in the past, called for Paxton to resign during his bribery and abuse-of-office scandal (though Paxton was later acquitted). Despite clashes with former President Trump over debt-ceiling spending and other issues, Roy insists his voting record strongly aligns with the MAGA agenda and says he works to advance the president\u2019s priorities while challenging the political \u201cswamp.\u201d Trump has criticized him at times, while Roy maintains regular contact and contends their views largely overlap.<\/p>\n<p> Middleton, by contrast, has run as a steadfast Trump-aligned, America First candidate, appealing to voters who view Roy as anti-Trump. Observers frame Middleton as the more consistent Trump ally in the race, which compounds the contest over Roy\u2019s brand of aggressive conservatism. Voters are split: some see Roy as a principled fighter who delivers for conservatives, while others say his anti-establishment posture makes him less reliable for Trump-era loyalties. Public commentary from strategists and voters highlights the tight, turnout-dependent dynamics of this runoff and the enduring tension within Texas Republican politics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Will Chip Roy&rsquo;s fighter mentality be his political demise?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2256893\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chip-roy\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1711\">Rep. Chip Roy<\/a> (R-TX) will face the political fight of his career in the Texas <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/attorney-general\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17576\">attorney general <\/a>primary runoff, but his rabble-rouser tendencies in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1131\">Washington<\/a> could hamper his chances to eke out a victory.<\/p>\n<p>Roy will face Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-TX) in the May 26 runoff to be the Republican nominee that will most likely succeed Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4370\">Ken Paxton<\/a>, who is in his own heated runoff, after neither candidate secured an endorsement from President<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\"> Donald Trump<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4498579\/buttigieg-plan-visit-weak-regions-democrats\/\">Buttigieg lays out plan to visit weak regions for Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4497871\/sabato-crystal-ball-midterm-elections-governor-democrats\/\">Sabato&#8217;s Crystal Ball moves six gubernatorial elections to favor Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4496323\/generational-battle-ugly-california-7th-district-primary-race\/\">Generational battle gets ugly in California&#8217;s 7th District primary race<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Republican primary voters don&rsquo;t punish fighters&mdash;they reward them. Chip Roy&rsquo;s brand as a disruptor probably helps him more than it hurts,&rdquo; Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told the <em>Washington Examiner.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But runoffs are about who shows up, and it&rsquo;s notoriously difficult for a second-place finisher to make up that kind of ground, particularly against a self-funding opponent who took first place by 7.5 points,&rdquo; Lennox continued.<\/p>\n<p>Middleton received 39.1% of the votes in the March 3 primary, with Roy only receiving 31.6% of the votes, meaning voter turnout could be the determining factor in this race in a state where voter turnout in runoffs is notoriously low.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Roy, who sits on the powerful Rules Committee, has become known as a conservative firebrand in the House GOP caucus during his four-term tenure. He has fought hard for fiscal conservatism, often finding himself in the middle of late-night meetings during funding fights, as he looks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/here-are-the-four-republicans-who-did-not-vote-for-kevin-mccarthys-debt-ceiling-plan\/\" title=\"Here are the four ...ublicans who did not vote for Kevin McCarthy&#039;s debt ceiling plan\">claw back spending<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Roy is also a staunch supporter of securing the border and calling out Islamification. Roy said that as attorney general, he would be willing to call out district attorneys and the state legislature if they are not doing the job as he sees correctly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Roy even called for Paxton to resign from his post as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spanberger-preaches-affordability-resistance-to-trump-immigration-agenda-in-inaugural-address\/\" title=\"Spanberger preaches affordability, resistance to Trump immigration agenda in inaugural address\">attorney general amid<\/a> his 2020 bribery and abuse-of-office scandal, in which he was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"253\">Texas<\/a> Republican was also a key holdout that leadership had to flip during negotiations for Trump&rsquo;s Big, Beautiful bill passed last year, having held up the legislation to negotiate more offsets to the tax cuts being made permanent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, Roy has also clashed with Trump a handful of times, notably when the president decided to raise the debt ceiling without stringent restrictions on future spending, a stance previously condemned by many Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The very unpopular &lsquo;Congressman&rsquo; from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory &ndash; All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself. Republican obstructionists have to be done away with,&rdquo; Trump posted on Truth Social in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>While the hard-line conservative has found himself a subject of the president&rsquo;s ire, Roy said they talk &ldquo;pretty regularly,&rdquo; and that Trump said &ldquo;flattering things, very nice things&rdquo; about him when he visited Texas earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My voting record speaks for itself,&rdquo; Roy said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. &ldquo;It is overwhelmingly aligned with the president, with what you would define as the MAGA agenda, America first.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have done more to deliver for the president&rsquo;s agenda while being willing to stand up to the swamp than pretty much any other member of Congress,&rdquo; he added. <\/p>\n<p>But Roy&rsquo;s message has not reached all voters. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s too anti-Trump,&rdquo; 61-year-old Texas voter Al Guadagno told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t trust Chip Roy to do the right thing anymore. He&rsquo;s not a bad person. I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s a bad person, but I think he needs to be more supportive of Trump&rsquo;s policies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>72-year-old Charlie Dwyer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> called Roy a &ldquo;flag.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Which direction are the winds blowing?&rdquo; Dwyer remarked. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way Chip Roy goes. I&rsquo;ve never liked flag politicians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Middleton, meanwhile, has aligned himself with Trump throughout his campaign, as an America First candidate, aiming to secure voters who have taken Roy&rsquo;s fighter mentality as anti-Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Lennox said Roy doesn&rsquo;t drink the &ldquo;MAGA Kool-Aid,&rdquo; meaning he doesn&rsquo;t go along with a policy just because the president jumps on it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a MAGA Kool-Aid drinker, and there&rsquo;s still a big enough constituency in the Republican Party, within Texas, let alone nationally, for principled conservatives, particularly as we start entering the end of the Trump era,&rdquo; Lennox told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>last month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, despite Roy often being a headache for House GOP leadership, many MAGA Republicans still recognize Roy as a conservative fighter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With most of them [politicians], I don&rsquo;t agree with everything that they believe in lockstep, but for the most part, I believe in the majority of what he&rsquo;s pushed, and I really hope he wins,&rdquo; 51-year-old&nbsp;Texas voter Stacey Pierce told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> &ldquo;I mean, it&rsquo;s gonna be sad to have him not be my representative, but I think he could probably do something better as an AG.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Even some of Trump&rsquo;s most staunch supporters are Roy fans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4495994\/democrats-move-to-force-dhs-funding-vote-without-ice-and-border-patrol\/\">DEMOCRATS MOVE TO FORCE DHS FUNDING VOTE WITHOUT ICE AND BORDER PATROL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Former Major League Baseball player and congressional candidate Mark Teixeira sang Roy&rsquo;s praises in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. Teixeira is running for the seat Roy vacated to run for statewide office, noting that their children attend the same school.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the right attitude,&rdquo; Teixeira said<em>.<\/em> &ldquo;He works his tail off. He&rsquo;s got experience, and I think that the people of Texas would be very lucky to have Chip as their attorney general.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<br \/>\nTexas Rep. Chip Roy, known for his combative, disruptor-style politics, is in a Republican runoff for attorney general against Sen. Mayes Middleton. The winner will likely take over from Ken Paxton, who is also in a heated runoff after neither candidate won Trump\u2019s endorsement. Analysts say Roy\u2019s hard-edged conservative approach could energize his base, but runoffs depend heavily on turnout, and Roy starts from behind a first-round gap against a self-funded opponent. Roy, a four-term House member on the Rules Committee, has built a reputation as a fiscal hawk and border-security advocate who frequently challenges other Republicans and the state government. He has called for accountability from district attorneys and lawmakers and even urged Paxton to resign during a 2020 bribery case, though Paxton was later acquitted. Roy has clashed with Trump on some issues, but he maintains that his voting record largely aligns with the MAGA agenda. Some voters view him as too anti-Trump, while others see him as a principled fighter who delivers for the president\u2019s priorities and stands up to the swamp. Middleton is positioned as a Trump-aligned, America First candidate seeking to attract those voters who view Roy\u2019s style as too confrontational. Supporters argue Roy has advanced the president\u2019s agenda while resisting establishment pressure, and some voters admire his work ethic and experience. The race could hinge on turnout and whether Roy can broaden his appeal beyond his core supporters.<\/p>\n<p>55-character headline:<br \/>\nRoy&#8217;s fighter persona could hurt GOP bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2582527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WEX_HOUSE_VOTES-14-e1764870092117.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[76313,76314,6203,5894,74278],"class_list":["post-2582526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chip-roy-2","tag-fighter-mentality","tag-gop","tag-politics","tag-texas-politics-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WEX_HOUSE_VOTES-14-e1764870092117.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582526"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582530,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582526\/revisions\/2582530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}