'Texas House needs you': A Paxton impeachment defense attorney eyes run for public office

Stepping further into the political fray after a successful defense of embattled state Attorney General Ken Paxton during an impeachment proceeding last month, Dallas-area attorney J. Mitch Little is making public his intent to run for a seat in the Texas House.

Little, who served on Paxton's legal team during the state's top cop's impeachment trial, has been encouraged to run for office by Paxton in recent days, and on Tuesday filed a campaign treasurer appointment, tipping his hand on his plan to run against incumbent Rep. Kronda Thimesch, R-Lewisville, for House District 65 in North Texas.

Little in August resigned as Thimesch's campaign treasurer and now will run against his former boss, highlighting a rift within the Texas Republican Party, which is grappling with a post-impeachment landscape in which Paxton is actively seeking revenge against a number of House lawmakers who pushed for his removal from office. Thimesch was among the overwhelming majority of House members who voted to impeach the attorney general. Ultimately, Paxton was cleared in the Senate on the impeachment charges, including allegations of bribery and abuse of office.

On Tuesday, Paxton posted a thank you note on X, formerly known as Twitter, to both Little and Tony Buzbee, Paxton's lead impeachment defense lawyer, saying the state is lucky to have the pair of attorneys.

As he wished Buzbee luck in his run for a seat on the Houston City Council, Paxton said Little should also seek public office.

"Mitch, I think the Texas House needs you," Paxton said.

Little's campaign treasurer filing made public Wednesday morning allows him to begin raising money for the 2024 election cycle.

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Neither Paxton's office nor Little responded to American-Statesman requests for comment.

Little left Thimesch's office as he joined Paxton's defense team in the lead up to the impeachment trial in which Paxton was acquitted on a litany of charges accusing him of abusing his office to give favorable legal assistance to campaign donor and Austin real estate developer Nate Paul.

In a statement Wednesday, Thimesch confirmed she will be running for reelection in 2024 and recounted an August discussion with Little in which the two disagreed "on a single issue" — Paxton's impeachment.

"We both attend Bent Tree Bible Fellowship, and I asked Mitch that day if I could pray for him and his family," Thimesch said. "I understand that he felt strongly enough about that vote that he chose to resign as my campaign treasurer and file to run against me."

Thimesch, welcoming Little to the race, said she is looking forward to continuing the campaign cycle as she continues promoting conservative priorities at the Capitol.

"If I see Mitch out knocking on doors in HD 65, as I've been doing nonstop since first running in 2020, I'll be sure to wave," she said.

Earlier this year, Thimesch was voted the most conservative freshman by her colleagues in the House. She pointed to her support of several conservative legislative priorities as the reason voters in her district will back her reelection bid.

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"They know I delivered on issues that matter to them like border security, public safety, election integrity and defending our family values," Thimesch told the American-Statesman. "I'm focused on representing HD 65, because our country is at a crossroads. We don’t have time for personal vendettas."

In the weeks after his impeachment acquittal, Paxton went on the offensive as he spoke to a number of conservative talk show hosts, boasting about the trial's outcome and his intent to support candidates that are challenging House members who voted to suspend him and forward the impeachment inquiry onto the Senate.

Last month, Paxton told Dallas-based radio host Mark Davis that he is "highly motivated" to influence campaigns in the House coming off of his favorable verdict.

"I'll be spending a lot of time in Beaumont. I'll be spending a lot of time in Kerrville, where (impeachment manager Rep. Andrew) Murr is. I'll be spending a lot of time in Collin County. There's a lot of Collin County reps that didn't talk to me. ... I will definitely be speaking out, and (Rep.) Jeff Leach, get ready," Paxton told Davis at the time, singling out a number of House impeachment managers and House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont.

Those lawmakers have largely downplayed the threats, which includes an effort by Paxton to file criminal complaints against House impeachment managers he accuses of "doxing" him in an evidence dump earlier this month.

On Wednesday, Leach, a former Paxton ally who represents Paxton's native Collin County, said he is looking forward to seeing Little's challenge of Thimesch play out.

"I love this so much," Leach said in support of Thimesch on X. "@KrondaForTexas had an amazing first session. And watching her crush Mitch Little — or 'Little Mitch' as he’s known by many — will be a blast. Can’t wait!"

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: A Ken Paxton impeachment lawyer eyes run for North Texas House seat