.A late surge in spending powered by a West Texas businessman wasn’t enough to help Rep. Chip Roy, who failed to win the GOP nomination for Texas attorney general on Tuesday.

Polls had shown Roy, a stalwart member of the House Freedom Caucus, trailing Mayes Middleton, a state senator and oil company owner who self-funded his campaign and had never practiced law. But nearly $5 million in donations from Alex Fairly, a GOP megadonor, helped Roy close the financial gap in the final weeks.

It wasn’t enough, with Middleton soundly leading Roy with 56 percent of the vote when the AP called the race.

Both candidates ran as staunch allies of President Donald Trump, who was officially neutral in the race. Middleton branded himself “MAGA Mayes” and questioned Roy’s support for the president, noting he had pushed back against Trump’s lies following his 2020 election loss and said Trump committed “impeachable conduct” following the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Middleton, fully embracing Trump’s conspiracy theories, insisted Roy “fought to certify a stolen election on the House floor,” according to the Dallas Morning News.

Roy campaigned with Sen. Ted Cruz, with whom he once served as chief of staff, and a number of national conservative influencers. He argued his rare splits with Trump highlighted his independence and said Mayes was unqualified for the job.

Middleton is now seen as the favorite to replace Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate, as the state’s attorney general. State Sen. Nathan Johnson won the Democratic Primary.

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