Democrat Nathan Johnson won the election for Attorney General of Texas, held on November 3, 2026. According to media reports, the 58-year-old candidate received approximately 52 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Mayes Middleton, and became the first Democratic Party representative in this position in the last 32 years. He is set to take office as the new Texas Attorney General in January 2027. However, it was not the election result itself that garnered widespread attention, but rather the winner's unexpected creative past, which he shared in a video posted on Facebook.
An unexpected past: From piano to cult anime
Before his political career, Johnson had experience that is difficult to associate with law: in the early 2000s, he created the musical score for the English-language version of the anime "Dragon Ball Z." According to him, the composer wrote music for 67 episodes of the series and five feature-length films of the franchise. Among the works he mentioned are "Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest," "The Tree of Might," "Broly — Second Coming," "Fusion Reborn," and "Wrath of the Dragon."
How a lawyer ended up at Funimation
Johnson describes his path to this job as accidental. While looking for space for his law firm, he mentioned in a conversation with the landlord that he would like to install an electric piano in the office. It turned out that the landlord worked at Funimation, the company that handled the dubbing and localization of the cartoon series. After listening to Johnson's demo tapes, he was offered a job—even though, by his own admission, he hadn't even watched the anime before that moment. One of his most famous works became a character musical theme from the film "Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn."
Personal memories
In the published video, Johnson recalls this period with warmth. According to him, his son was only a year old at the time, and the boy often watched his father work: they watched scenes from the anime together, and the child would recognize the main character Goku and rejoice at what he saw. The composer noted that this job was not only a creative opportunity for him, but also a way to experience a special cultural connection with the audience.
The road to politics
After his musical phase, Johnson changed his professional direction and dedicated himself to law and politics. He has an education in physics and law, and he worked as an attorney. In 2018, he was first elected to the Texas State Senate and represented the state in the upper house of the legislature from 2019 before running for Attorney General.
Election results
In the November 3, 2026 election, Democrat Johnson defeated Republican Mayes Middleton, receiving about 52 percent of the vote, and became the first Democrat to serve as Texas Attorney General in 32 years. He is scheduled to take office in January 2027. Thus, in a state with traditionally strong Republican traditions, a person with an unusual biography—from an anime composer to a lawmaker and prosecutor—has assumed a key legal position.
