Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) announced Monday that he is running for Texas attorney general, launching a challenge against incumbent Ken Paxton (R), who has secured the backing of former president Donald Trump.

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       In an announcement video released Monday night, Gohmert said his team had “reached our initial goal of raising $1 million,” a figure on which the Texas Republican set his sights earlier this month.

       “So, I will be filing to run for Texas attorney general,” Gohmert said in the announcement video. “Our priority will be election integrity, so that every legal vote counts.”

       Gohmert is jumping into an already-crowded GOP primary. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush — the son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush and nephew of former president George W. Bush — is also running, as are former Texas Supreme Court judge Eva Guzman and Texas state Rep. Matt Krause, who recently gained attention for publishing a list of books he claims make students feel “discomfort.”

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       Paxton has spent most of his tenure as attorney general fighting an indictment on securities fraud charges. In 2015, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts and since has been under indictment. He went on to win reelection three years later by fewer than four percentage points.

       On his campaign site, Gohmert does not mention Paxton’s name directly, but he claims that the sitting attorney general has helped land Texas in “grave trouble.”

       “We need a Texas Attorney General whose top attorneys working for him have not found it necessary to send a letter to the FBI urging an investigation into corruption of their boss,” Gohmert writes on the site, alluding to an FBI criminal investigation launched in October 2020 probing claims that Paxton abused his office to help a wealthy donor. Paxton denies any wrongdoing.

       “If you allow me, I will not wait to be my busiest until after some bad press about legal improprieties,” Gohmert said in Monday night’s video. “I’ll start boldly protecting your rights on Day One.”

       Trump has already endorsed Paxton for a third term, making Gohmert’s jump into the race even more surprising. In July, the former president said Paxton is a “true Texan who will keep Texas safe.”