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Joe Jaworski

  • Dec 29, 2025
  • 7 min read

Updated: Jan 5

Table of Contents



Disclaimer: The information below summarizes candidate-provided responses and publicly available information. “Considerations for voters” are intended to highlight relevant strengths, gaps, or strategic factors, not to advocate for or against any candidate.



Joe Jaworski Attorney General


“I’m Joe Jaworski. I’m running for Attorney General, and come hell or high water, I’ll fight for Texans.”



Candidate Overview 

Background

  • Third-generation Texas attorney

  • Now a highly sought-after national and international mediator


Mission:

  • Take on corruption and fight for justice


Relevant Experience

  • Former mayor of Galveston, Texas

  • Widely regarded as the city’s most responsive and accessible mayor in Galveston’s history

  • Lead the rebuild effort after Hurricane Ike

  • Under his leadership, The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy planted 40,000 new trees Island-wide

  • Championed a solution to build mixed-income housing


Notable Positions & Focus Areas

  • Enforce laws that expand voter access

  • Protect privacy and personal freedom, ensuring government stays out of personal health decisions

  • Protect the right to organize in the workplace

  • Incentivize clean energy

  • Expand Medicare

  • Restore in-state tuition for Dreamers

  • Protect immigrants' constitutional rights

  • Legalize marijuana for personal use


Considerations for Voters

  • He’s the only candidate we’ve seen so far that has an option to view his website in Spanish.

  • He’s also the only candidate to include the word “Democrat” in his campaign logo.




Positions


Democratic Values

Stance:

Jaworski frames democracy as the restoration of power to the people, positioning the Attorney General’s office as a pro-democracy institution rather than a political weapon. He emphasizes integrity, voter access, and structural reform as central democratic responsibilities.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Creation of a Division of Elections and Voter Encouragement within the OAG

  • Full enforcement of Texas Election Code 13.046d to register every eligible high school senior

  • Advocacy for campaign finance limits, independent redistricting, and term limits

  • Reversal of Paxton-era positions in voting rights litigation


Approach to Increasing Participation:

  • Mandatory enforcement and auditing of voter registration ceremonies in high schools

  • Direct engagement with students through campus visits and registration events

  • Collaboration with grassroots organizations to reach disengaged voters

  • Public-facing, transparent communication through social media and town halls


Democratic Norms & Threats Identified:

  • Voter suppression embedded in state governance

  • Excessive influence of wealthy donors over elected officials

  • Erosion of voting access and election integrity

  • Politicization of the Attorney General’s office


Notable Emphasis:

  • Strong focus on youth voter registration as a measurable democratic outcome

  • Treats voter access as a legal enforcement issue, not just an advocacy goal

  • Frames democracy as structural, not symbolic




Healthcare

Stance:

While healthcare is not a central policy area of the AG’s office, Jaworski frames access to healthcare as a matter of justice and affordability, particularly for working families and young Texans.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Positions affordability as a core statewide priority

  • Frames healthcare access as part of the broader “American Dream”

  • Supports government intervention to address systemic affordability barriers


Reproductive Healthcare:

  • Supports protecting bodily autonomy, including access to abortion care

  • Opposes state interference in personal medical decisions

  • Frames reproductive healthcare as a constitutional and civil rights issue

  • Aligns with protecting patients and providers from politically motivated legal attacks

  • Emphasizes equal access to care regardless of income or geography


Populations Centered:

  • Young adults entering the workforce

  • Families struggling with affordability

  • Texans burdened by systemic economic barriers


Relevant Expertise & Preparation:

  • Longstanding public service and legal career

  • Experience mediating disputes involving vulnerable populations


Notable Emphasis:

  • Healthcare is framed through affordability rather than programmatic reform

  • Emphasis aligns with AG’s role in legal enforcement and advocacy

  • Positions reproductive healthcare within the Attorney General’s role as a defender of rights, not a moral arbiter

  • Focuses on legal protection and access rather than punitive enforcement




Equity & Representation

Stance:

Jaworski emphasizes equity through access, enforcement, and representation, arguing that government has actively failed marginalized communities by prioritizing wealth and power over people.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Legal action to reverse school voucher programs

  • Enforcement of constitutional obligations to fund public education

  • Opposition to “show me your papers” laws and racial profiling

  • Hiring diverse staff and empowering them to lead


Approach:

  • Regular in-person and remote town halls

  • Delegating authority to staff from impacted communities

  • Willingness to reassess views based on lived experiences of others


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Eight years as a pro bono public servant and elected official

  • Experience as a mediator resolving over 10,000 disputes

  • Mayoral leadership during contentious public housing reform


Notable Emphasis:

  • Willingness to confront racism and political backlash directly

  • Equity framed as both legal obligation and moral responsibility

  • Strong reliance on listening and mediation skills




Economy & Cost of Living

Stance:

Jaworski centers affordability as a defining economic issue, particularly for young adults who can no longer access traditional pathways to stability.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Creation of a Division of Affordability within the OAG

  • Focus on debt-free education, fair wages, and housing access

  • Advocacy for policies that restore economic mobility


Cost-of-Living Focus Areas:

  • Use of the Attorney General’s office to identify and address systemic barriers

  • Legal advocacy focused on consumer and worker protections


Populations Centered:

  • Young adults struggling to afford housing, education, and family formation

  • Working families facing rising costs and stagnant wages

  • First-time homebuyers priced out of the market

  • Texans burdened by student debt and limited economic mobility

  • Voters disengaged due to economic precarity and lack of opportunity


Approach to Economic Policy:

  • Structural reform rather than short-term relief

  • Emphasis on fairness, accountability, and enforcement


Notable Emphasis:

  • Strong focus on generational economic inequality

  • Frames affordability as essential to democracy and civic participation

  • Strong generational focus on restoring access to the “American Dream”

  • Frames economic affordability as directly tied to democratic participation

  • Emphasizes systemic solutions over individual blame




Texas Issues

Stance:

Jaworski views the Attorney General’s office as a protector of Texans during crises, emphasizing disaster preparedness, recovery, and constitutional governance.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Defense of public education funding under the Texas Constitution

  • Legal opposition to voucher programs

  • Protection of free speech on college campuses


Approach to Climate Resilience:

  • Focus on disaster preparedness and recovery through legal and regulatory tools

  • Emphasis on government responsibility during emergencies


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Former Galveston mayor during Hurricane Ike recovery

  • Mayor Pro Tem during Hurricane Rita

  • Extensive firsthand disaster response leadership


Notable Emphasis:

  • Disaster recovery identified as a personal area of expertise

  • Climate framed through resilience and governance rather than rhetoric




Education

Stance

Jaworski treats public education as a constitutional mandate and a cornerstone of democracy, not a market commodity.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Legal action to end school vouchers

  • Enforcement of Article VII of the Texas Constitution

  • Protection of educators, librarians, and students


Approach:

  • Litigation to compel adequate state funding

  • Defense of academic freedom and free speech


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Legal background and constitutional expertise

  • Public leadership during contentious education debates


Notable Emphasis:

  • Willingness to sue state leadership to enforce education obligations

  • Frames education funding as a legal failure, not a budget choice




Accountability, Ethics, & Leadership

Stance:

Jaworski emphasizes integrity, transparency, and independence, explicitly rejecting the politicization of the AG’s office.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Creation of a Division of Ethics and Integrity

  • Investigation and prosecution of corruption in government

  • Public advocacy for campaign finance reform


Approach:

  • Transparent reporting of campaign finances

  • Frequent public communication and written policy positions

  • Acceptance of criticism as part of leadership growth


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • 35 years as a Texas lawyer

  • Former mayor and city council member

  • Extensive mediation experience


Notable Emphasis:

  • Strong moral framing of ethics (“no one is above the law”)

  • Emphasizes independence from donors and special interests




Immigration

Stance:

Jaworski supports humane immigration policies grounded in due process and civil rights.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Opposition to “show me your papers” laws

  • Support for reducing the role of ICE in civil enforcement

  • Emphasis on constitutional protections


Approach:

  • Legal advocacy and enforcement against discriminatory practices

  • Willingness to challenge bipartisan support for harmful laws


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Legal career defending civil liberties

  • Personal education through close collaboration with staff from impacted communities


Notable Emphasis:

  • Clear acknowledgment of racialized impacts of immigration enforcement

  • Willingness to publicly name failures within his own party




Candidate Qualifications

Stance:

Jaworski presents experience, evidence, and personal sacrifice as his core qualifications, emphasizing a demonstrated willingness to lose power rather than abandon principles.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Restoration of integrity to the AG’s office

  • Willingness to confront powerful political actors

  • Commitment to structural reform over political convenience


Approach:

  • “Do right and risk the consequences” leadership philosophy

  • Direct confrontation with corruption and abuse of power

  • Long-term reform mindset


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Former Galveston mayor

  • Hurricane recovery leadership

  • 35-year legal career

  • Proven record of standing firm under political pressure


Notable Emphasis:

  • Explicit contrast with primary opponent’s voting record

  • Strong emphasis on courage, independence, and lived leadership

  • Frames qualifications through actions, not ambition




Scorecard Summary


Our Score: 34/34

Strong alignment with TMK–Indivisible Waco’s core endorsement criteria.


Key Positions & Commitments:

  • Aggressively defends voting rights and expands voter participation statewide, including enforcement of high school voter registration requirements

  • Commits to holding powerful interests accountable through campaign finance reform, anti-corruption enforcement, and ethics investigations

  • Protects bodily autonomy, reproductive healthcare access, and civil rights against state overreach

  • Prioritizes affordability for working Texans, including healthcare, housing, education, and childcare

  • Supports humane immigration policy, due process, and limits on ICE’s role in civil enforcement

  • Advocates for fair maps, independent redistricting, and structural democracy reforms


Approach:

  • Uses the Attorney General’s office proactively rather than performatively, creating dedicated divisions to address elections, affordability, and ethics

  • Grounds decision-making in law, evidence, and lived experience rather than ideology or political convenience

  • Combines public transparency with direct community engagement through town halls, campus visits, and accessible communication

  • Demonstrates willingness to confront culture-war distractions head-on while refocusing voters on real, material issues


Relevant Experience & Expertise:

  • Former Mayor of Galveston with proven experience making high-stakes decisions under intense political pressure

  • Thirty-five years as a Texas attorney with deep knowledge of state law and constitutional obligations

  • Extensive background in mediation, resolving thousands of disputes involving vulnerable Texans

  • Firsthand experience leading disaster recovery and public housing redevelopment efforts


Notable Emphasis:

  • Clear evidence of backbone, including documented willingness to risk political consequences to do what is right

  • Strong alignment with democratic norms and an explicit commitment to restoring integrity to the Attorney General’s office

  • Focus on empowering young voters and first-time participants as a long-term strategy to strengthen democracy

  • Positions the AG role as a protector of people, not a weapon against them






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