Nathan Johnson, a Democrat, defeated Republican Mayes Middleton by 6.5 points to become the new Texas Attorney General, according to the report. Middleton supported the current Texas poker model.
Johnson, a state senator, proposed Texas Senate Joint Resolution 82 in March 2025. The constitutional amendment would have let Texas voters decide whether to remove constitutional bans on strictly regulated gaming. The bill died in the Senate State Affairs Committee. The report says one key goal of the measure was to eliminate legal gray areas for poker clubs and make the law clearer.
Texas has strict anti-gambling laws, but legal poker rooms operate under a "gray area" law. Card rooms can operate legally as long as they do not collect rake. Many rooms operate as social clubs that charge membership and seat fees instead. The Lodge Card Club in the Austin area has faced legal action, according to the report.
Johnson's campaign used poker imagery in ads and social media posts. The report also says he received a $4,500 donation from Texas Sands PAC, which is linked to Las Vegas Sands Corp. Johnson defended the donation in an interview with CBS News. He said that even if S