Nathan Johnson, the composer behind the English-language music of Dragon Ball Z, has been elected attorney general of Texas — one of the most unusual journeys in American politics, from anime scoring stages to the top law enforcement office of the country's second-largest state.

Johnson, a 58-year-old Democrat and state senator from Dallas, defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in Tuesday's midterms. He is the first Democrat elected attorney general of Texas since Dan Morales in 1994, ending 32 years of Republican control.

Key Points

• Democrat Nathan Johnson, 58, was elected Texas attorney general on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, defeating Republican Mayes Middleton.
• He is the first Democrat elected to the office since Dan Morales in 1994, ending 32 years of Republican control.
• Before politics, Johnson composed the musical scores for 67 episodes of Dragon Ball Z and five of its films, working with Funimation on the English-language dub.
• He succeeds outgoing Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who lost the US Senate race to James Talarico.
• A Texas state senator since 2019, Johnson says he passed 134 bills over four legislative sessions.

What Happened

Johnson won as part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices in Texas, where Democrats had not won a statewide contest in more than three decades. The attorney general's race was one of the prizes of that sweep, and his win was called on election night.

He celebrated on Tuesday night, writing that Texans had voted for an attorney general who will "above all uphold the rule of law". The message set the tone for how he intends to run an office that has, under Paxton, become one of the most politically prominent — and controversial — attorney general's offices in the country.

Middleton, a Republican state senator from Galveston, had sought to keep the office in Republican hands. His defeat confirmed the scale of the Democratic breakthrough in a state Republicans had treated as a stronghold for a generation.

Background: From Physics and Law to the Texas Senate

Johnson holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He practised business and bankruptcy law in Dallas before entering politics.

He was elected to the Texas Senate in 2018, representing District 16 in Dallas County, and took office in 2019. Over four legislative sessions he says he passed 134 bills, working across party lines on business regulation and criminal justice. That record became the centrepiece of his campaign, presented as proof that he could run a large legal office without turning it into a partisan weapon.

Nathan Johnson, Texas Attorney General: From Anime Scores to the State's Top Lawyer

Long before he was a lawmaker, Johnson was a working composer, writing the scores for 67 episodes of Dragon Ball Z and five of its films — The World's Strongest, The Tree of Might, Broly: Second Coming, Fusion Reborn and Wrath of the Dragon — working with Funimation on the English-language dub, including the 2005 Ultimate Uncut Edition.

He leaned into that past on the campaign trail. In a campaign video he told voters: "I composed the musical scores for 67 episodes and five movies and had a great time doing it." For millions of Americans who grew up watching Goku and Vegeta after school, the line made the candidate instantly recognisable — a lawyer who had once written the music to one of the most popular anime series ever shown in the United States.

The detail gave the race unusual cultural reach. Entertainment outlets covered a down-ballot Texas contest that might otherwise have passed unnoticed, and Johnson's musical past became the most-shared fact of his campaign. In a year when Texas voters were ready for change, a composer-turned-senator fit the moment.

Reactions

Johnson's own message on election night was deliberately restrained. He thanked voters and said Texans had chosen an attorney general who will "above all uphold the rule of law" — a phrase that, after the Paxton years, reads as a promise of a different kind of office.

The wider reaction was less restrained. Republican Senator Ted Cruz called the midterm results a "blue tsunami", saying: "2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami." In Texas, he said, Republicans "lost every single statewide election". Johnson's win was one of the clearest symbols of that rout: an office held by Republicans since 1995, taken by a Democrat whose best-known work was written for a cartoon.

Why It Matters

The Texas attorney general is one of the most powerful state legal offices in America. It defends the state in court, brings consumer-protection and antitrust cases, issues legal opinions guiding state agencies, and — under Paxton — became a national player, suing the federal government and other states over immigration and election rules.

Johnson's election therefore changes more than a nameplate. A Democratic attorney general will set different priorities for that litigation machine, and his pledge to put the rule of law first signals a shift away from using the office for partisan lawsuits. Businesses, local governments and federal agencies that deal with Texas will feel the change in courtrooms across the country.

It also measures how far Texas politics has moved. Democrats had not won any statewide office in Texas since 1994 — a drought of 32 years that Johnson's victory, alongside Talarico's Senate win and the sweep of the other statewide races, ends in a single night.

What Happens Next

Johnson takes office when the new term begins in January 2027, succeeding Paxton. His first decisions will be about staffing and priorities: which of Paxton's pending lawsuits to continue, which to drop, and how to rebuild the office's ties with county prosecutors and state agencies.

He will also face the practical challenge of running an agency of hundreds of lawyers. His Senate record suggests a legislator comfortable with detail and compromise, and his campaign promise was to run the office as a lawyer first. Texas will now see whether the composer who scored Dragon Ball Z can conduct the state's largest law firm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Nathan Johnson?
Nathan Johnson is a 58-year-old Democrat from Dallas, a Texas state senator since 2019 and a former business and bankruptcy lawyer, elected Texas attorney general on November 3, 2026.

What did he compose for Dragon Ball Z?
He scored 67 episodes of Dragon Ball Z and five of its films — The World's Strongest, The Tree of Might, Broly: Second Coming, Fusion Reborn and Wrath of the Dragon — working with Funimation on the English dub.

Who did he defeat?
He defeated Republican Mayes Middleton, a state senator from Galveston, on November 3, 2026.

When was the last Democrat elected Texas attorney general?
Dan Morales in 1994. Johnson is the first Democrat elected to the office since then.

Who is he replacing?
He succeeds outgoing Republican Ken Paxton, who lost the Senate race to Democrat James Talarico.

Related coverage: Texas Democrats' Down-Ballot Sweep Ends 30 Years Without a Win; Talarico Stuns Paxton to Win Texas Senate Seat in Historic Upset; Ted Cruz Calls Midterm Rout a 'Blue Tsunami'.