• Justin Nelson, an Austin attorney, wants to unseat Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 2018 general election. Photo: Jnsmjb2
Photo: Jnsmjb2
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Justin Nelson, an Austin attorney, wants to unseat Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 2018 general election.

Justin Nelson, an Austin attorney, wants to unseat Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 2018 general election.

Photo: Jnsmjb2

AUSTIN -- The lone candidate to challenge embattled Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2018 election will report raising more than $900,000 to fuel his bid for office in an attempt to show voters and potential investors he's serious about taking on one of the state's most politically vulnerable officials.

Justin Nelson, an Austin-area attorney and Democrat, plans to report that he raised $911,778, all collected since he announced in November he would take on Paxton. He contributed $500,000 of it himself, according a press release Thursday.

Official campaign finance reports are due to state officials early next week, illuminating how much candidates have raised and from whom in the lead up to this year's elections.

Nelson and Paxton are unopposed in March's primary election and will face off in the November general election. Paxton, a first-term Republican to the attorney general's office, is beloved by tea party Republicans but has spent the majority of his tenure under indictment and fighting allegations he committed securities fraud prior to taking office.

Andrea Zelinski covers politics and state government for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.