{"id":2625398,"date":"2026-07-06T07:45:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/between-socialist-and-anti-trump-democrats-one-texas-candidate-runs-on-restoring-the-rule-of-law\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T07:47:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:47:27","slug":"between-socialist-and-anti-trump-democrats-one-texas-candidate-runs-on-restoring-the-rule-of-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/between-socialist-and-anti-trump-democrats-one-texas-candidate-runs-on-restoring-the-rule-of-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Socialist and anti-Trump Democrats, one Texas candidate runs on restoring the rule of law"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/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%2Fbetween-socialist-and-anti-trump-democrats-one-texas-candidate-runs-on-restoring-the-rule-of-law%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=2625398&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>Democratic candidates across various states, from New York City to Colorado, have experienced notable success in the 2026 primaries by promoting socialist affordability messages and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/socialists-see-success-by-abandoning-anti-trump-messaging\/\" title=\"...s see success by abandoning anti-Trump messaging\">anti-establishment platforms<\/a>, leading to notable losses for more centrist and career politicians. This shift has caused internal debates within the Democratic party about whether to embrace the socialist wave or stick with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >customary anti-trump messaging<\/a>. Simultaneously occurring, texas Democrat Nathan Johnson has distinguished himself by emphasizing the importance of the rule of law and democratic integrity over populist messaging, running for state Attorney General on a platform focused on combating corruption and defending democratic principles.Despite the rise of socialist-focused candidates nationally,Johnson believes his platform centered on competence and integrity resonates with voters concerned about the rule of law&#8217;s perceived decline. However, given Texas&#8217;s political landscape and recent election trends, his republican opponent, Mayes Middleton, is favored to win the general election, with Middleton emphasizing tough-on-crime and conservative issues.The race highlights a complex political dynamic where some Democrats are seeking a different approach amid a broader national trend of socialist and anti-Trump candidacies.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/New-York-City\/\">New York City<\/a> to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/colorado\/\">Colorado<\/a>, Democratic candidates who have run on socialist affordability messages and anti-establishment platforms have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4626775\/socialists-success-anti-establishment-strategy\/\">had success in the 2026<\/a> primary races, handing more centrist, career politicians losses they haven\u2019t seen in decades. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The socialists\u2019 success has divided the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Democratic-party\/\"> Democratic Party<\/a>, with members <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4623341\/democrats-new-york-city-primaries-party-meaning\/\">debating whether<\/a> to embrace the socialist rise within the party in this midterm cycle or stick to more established anti-Trump messaging. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4631829\/supreme-court-blue-state-ballot-fight-transgender-athletes\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court fans blue-state ballot fight over transgender athletes<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4631662\/colorado-governor-democratic-primary-weiser-bennet\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Phil Weiser holds off Sen. Michael Bennet to secure Colorado Democratic governor nomination<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4630392\/barstool-sports-dave-portnoy-run-new-york-city-mayor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Dave Portnoy says he\u2019d run for NYC mayor against Mamdani \u2014 and he\u2019s dead serious<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4626775\/socialists-success-anti-establishment-strategy\/\"><strong>SOCIALISTS SEE SUCCESS BY ABANDONING ANTI-TRUMP MESSAGING FOR ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT STRATEGY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But one Texas Democrat has attempted to cut through this noise and chart his own path within the party. Texas Democrat Nathan Johnson, running for state Attorney General, believes he will see success by running on a platform that prioritizes the rule of law and democracy, saying cost-of-living issues are inherently tied to those two main points. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile around the country people are running on affordability, sure, I\u2019m running on affordability, but it is a subheading. It is under the rule of law,\u201d Johnson said in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson\u2019s campaign is based on his argument that without the rule of law in place, the government is only \u201caccountable to private interests,\u201d as American voters feel left out of the conversation and turned into \u201cprice takers,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile that concentrated power is jacking up prices and reducing quality and reducing options and being abusive of customers and government is stripping away consumer protections, people feel like the rule of law is being used against them,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He explained that he is not running on an anti-Trump agenda nor a leftist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-not-backing-trump-despite-rfk-jr-endorsement-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Rand Paul not backing Trump despite RFK Jr. endorsement - Washington Examiner\">anti-establishment platform<\/a>, telling the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, \u201cIt\u2019s not really about Trump so much as it is about having a government that is not brazenly corrupt and that we\u2019re not having a pigs-at-the-trough festival of kleptocracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson is the Democratic nominee running for Texas <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Attorney-General\/\">Attorney General<\/a> against Republican Mayes Middleton. The two State Senators are vying to replace current Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Ken-Paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a>, who put the Texas attorney general\u2019s office in the national spotlight as he took on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Biden-administration\/\">Biden administration<\/a> with over 100 lawsuits.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton, who is taking on blue State Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/James-Talarico\/\">James Talarico<\/a> in the state\u2019s general U.S. Senate race, has been criticized by Democrats for various past scandals, including his 2023 impeachment trial on charges alleging he abused his office. Paxton was acquitted of all the articles of impeachment and slammed the charges as politically motivated. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, Paxton\u2019s legacy as attorney general has shaped the race to fill his seat, with Johnson running on a rule-of-law message in the wake of the Paxton office and Middleton running on preserving conservative values, such as securing the border and protecting the unborn, as an ally of the Trump administration, similar to Paxton\u2019s messaging. As State Senators, both Johnson and Middleton served as jurors in Paxton\u2019s impeachment trial, with the former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2023\/09\/16\/ken-paxton-impeachment-vote\/\">voting to <\/a>convict and the latter voting to acquit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With Texas being such a unique state politically and Paxton being such a high-profile attorney general to succeed, the race is set up to be a general election different from various federal legislative races around the country. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson called his home state a \u201cpolitical island\u201d and pinned it as different from states where other Democratic primaries have played out, when asked about where he sees his platform amid the national trends between Socialist and anti-Trump Democratic candidates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hear these arguments: you\u2019re not liberal enough, or you\u2019re not conservative enough. I\u2019m running on competence and integrity and upholding the systems that allow us to have the luxury of disagreeing and arguing about it in a democratic context,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the Socialist-platform wins around the country, Johnson says he thinks his anti-corruption, pro-democracy platform will have success because he thinks, to voters, the rule of law \u201clooks like it\u2019s in jeopardy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think pundits and analysts and press underestimate how important the rule of law is to people, ultimately, when they\u2019re presented with the possibility of losing it. Honestly, we take it for granted,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson also won the Democratic nomination for the race against a more <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DYfwJ1yqaYj\/\">progressive, leftist<\/a> challenger, former Galveston mayor Joe Jaworski, defeating him by 18.8 points in the primary runoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a state where a Democrat has not won a statewide election since 1994 and which Trump won by 13.6 points in 2024, GOP Middleton is largely <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4582077\/chip-roy-texas-attorney-general-runoff-results\/\">expected to win<\/a> the general election match-up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4475706\/donors-turn-their-attention-attorney-general-top-cop-races\/\"><strong>DONORS TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO TOP COP RACES IN MIDTERMS: \u2018ATTORNEYS GENERAL ACT AND WIN\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Middleton led Johnson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/texaspolitics.utexas.edu\/blog\/june-poll-finds-a-competitive-u-s-senate-race-in-texas-amid-continuing-economic-concerns-data-center-backlash\">41% to 36%<\/a> in a late June University of Texas\/Texas Politics Project Poll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Middleton, who beat out Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chip-roy\">Chip Roy<\/a> (R-TX) in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4582077\/chip-roy-texas-attorney-general-runoff-results\/\">GOP primary runoff<\/a> by a 10-point margin, has emphasized his tough-on-crime and anti-woke platform throughout the election cycle. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats&#8217; socialist surge in 2026 primaries causes party divide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2625399,"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\/2026\/07\/AP26078063733457.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6430,3685,40362,12428,37104],"class_list":["post-2625398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-anti-trump","tag-democrats","tag-rule-of-law","tag-socialism","tag-texas-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26078063733457.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625398","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\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2625398"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2625403,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2625398\/revisions\/2625403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2625399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2625398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2625398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2625398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}