(Bloomberg) -- Incumbent Ken Paxton will face George P. Bush in a May runoff election to be the Republican nominee for Texas attorney general after no single candidate won more than 50% of the votes cast in the party's primary, AP reported.
With most of the ballots counted, Paxton led with 42.9% of the vote while Bush was at 22.6%, official results showed early Wednesday. The two other GOP candidates -- former Texas Supreme Court justice Eva Guzman and U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert -- were at about 17% each.
Paxton, 59, is a close ally of Donald Trump and has embraced many of the policies supported by followers of the former president. Bush, 45, a grandson and nephew of presidents, is seeking the office after two terms as Texas's land commissioner.
The winner of the May 24 runoff will face a yet-to-be-determined Democratic opponent Nov. 8. A Democrat hasn't been elected to statewide office in Texas since 1994.
Bush focused his campaign on the ethics scandals dogging the incumbent, including a six-year-old securities-fraud indictment and claims of misconduct from former top lieutenants who say Paxton abused his power to help out a political donor.
Guzman, 61, also hammered Paxton on integrity issues. She pledged, if elected, to push back against government overreach, support law enforcement officials and beef up efforts to end illegal immigration.
Paxton has denied wrongdoing and said the accusations are politically motivated. His campaign sought to highlight his close relationship with Trump and his frequent lawsuits against big tech, including Alphabet Inc., as well as attempts to fight the Biden administration over issues including mask mandates and immigration policies. Paxton has also staked out far-right positions on hot-button social issues in Texas, recently asserting that gender-affirming medical procedures for transgender youth may be child abuse.
His primary opponents had said the ethics issues could dog Paxton in the general-election campaign, potentially opening a path for the Democratic challenger.
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