# Texas AG candidate wants God back in government

> Texas AG candidate Mayes Middleton pushes to put Christian principles in schools and government.
- Title: Texas AG candidate wants God back in government | Shortify
- Summary: Texas AG candidate Mayes Middleton pushes to put Christian principles in schools and government. Texas AG candidate Mayes Middleton wants to require Ten…
- Keywords: mayes middleton, texas attorney general, ten commandments, school prayer, judeo-christian principles, separation of church and state, texas legislature, religious freedom, freedom from religion foundation, kennedy v bremerton, news, local
- Source: The Texas Tribune — https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/17492714/mayes-middleton-texas-attorney-general-church-state-christianity
- Author: Eleanor Klibanoff
- Published: 2026-10-09T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: mayes middleton, texas attorney general, ten commandments, school prayer, judeo-christian principles, separation of church and state, texas legislature, religious freedom, freedom from religion foundation, kennedy v bremerton, news, local
## Texas AG candidate pushes Christian government
Texas AG candidate Mayes Middleton wants to require Ten Commandments displays in schools and prayer time.

> There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in our Constitution, and our schools are not God-free zones
## Federal judge blocks Ten Commandments law
A federal judge blocked the law in 11 school districts based on a 1980 Supreme Court ruling.
## Middleton donates Ten Commandments posters
Middleton donated posters of the Ten Commandments and pressed his district to hang them.
## School board resists Ten Commandments law
The school board demurred due to the pending lawsuit, so Attorney General Ken Paxton sued.
## Middleton’s Christian advocacy record
Over the last decade, Middleton has been a ferocious advocate for injecting Christianity into public life.
## Middleton rejects church-state separation
He called church-state separation a ‘false doctrine’ and said Texas must remain ‘grounded in the Judeo-Christian principles that have made us strong’.

> false doctrine
## Middleton criticizes Islam in Texas
He criticized the ‘Islamification of Texas’ as a threat to Christian identity.
## David Barton endorses Middleton
David Barton, a former Texas GOP chair, endorsed Middleton as a ‘man of sincere Christian faith’.

> man of sincere christian faith
## Religious freedom groups worry
Religious freedom groups fear Middleton would make non-Christians second-class citizens.
## Annie Laurie Gaylor warns
Annie Laurie Gaylor said Middleton would have a powerful gavel to shut down church-state separation.

> he would have all those people be second class citizens
## Middleton ignores questions
Middleton did not respond to questions from The Texas Tribune about his campaign.
## Polls show Middleton ahead
Polls show Middleton running just a few points behind Nathan Johnson ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

> just a few points behind
## Johnson criticizes Middleton
Johnson said Middleton’s views make him ‘not fit to be the top legal officer of the state’.

> not fit to be the top legal officer of the state
## Middleton’s faith priority
At Faith Fest, Middleton said his top priority would be to remind Texans that ‘our rights come from God, not government’.

> our rights come from god not government
## 2023 chaplain bill passes
In 2023, a bill allowing religious chaplains in schools passed with Middleton’s support.
## Opposition to chaplain bill
State Rep. James Talarico called the bill a ‘Trojan horse’ to indoctrinate kids with unqualified religious fanatics.

> trojan horse
## Freedom From Religion Foundation names Middleton
The Freedom From Religion Foundation named Middleton ‘Theocrat of the Week’.

> theocrat of the week
## Middleton’s Supreme Court comment
Middleton said the Supreme Court’s appointments under Trump made it possible to put God back in government.

> so what happened is, our u.s. supreme court, thanks to president trump’s appointments, made it possible for us to go win some of these fights and put god back in government
## Kennedy v Bremerton ruling
In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in Kennedy v. Bremerton that church-state cases should consider historical context.
## Middleton pushes for religious education
Middleton helped pass the Ten Commandments bill and prayer time bill in the legislature.
## Key takeaway

Texas AG candidate Mayes Middleton wants to require Ten Commandments displays in schools and prayer time, arguing government should be grounded in Judeo-Christian principles.