Leaked audio captures Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton acknowledging in private that Donald Trump’s midterm convention had hurt his standing in the polls.
The Republican nominee reportedly made the admission last Thursday during a small fundraiser in a conference room near Capitol Hill. About a dozen conservative donors and lobbyists attended the gathering, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.
One guest asked Paxton whether a particular person was hurting his campaign, saying: “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” Because the recording is muffled, it is unclear who the attendee was referring to.
“When we did that convention… it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped,” Paxton responded. “Right now, yeah, not good.”
The blunt assessment contrasts sharply with the Texas attorney general’s public reputation as one of Trump’s most unwavering political allies.
Paxton secured the Republican nomination with Trump’s backing, defeating longtime GOP incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a fiercely contested primary earlier this year.
Trump personally championed the unconventional midterm gathering, held in Dallas this month, which also served in large part as a celebration of his time in the White House.
Paxton occupied a prominent position at the event, sitting in a prime arena seat while working the crowd for campaign contributions. Trump praised him from the stage as the nation’s best attorney general, though he also joked about Paxton’s appearance and clothing choices.
Leaked audio reportedly captures Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton saying Donald Trump’s midterm convention damaged his poll numbers
The private remarks conflict with the Texas attorney general’s public image as one of Trump’s most loyal supporters
Trump’s endorsement helped Paxton defeat longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn in a closely fought primary earlier this year
Trump promoted the unusual midterm event in Dallas, which also functioned as a celebration of his White House tenure
The Times received the recording from an attendee who opposes Paxton’s campaign. Three additional people familiar with the fundraiser confirmed that Paxton had attended.
Nick Maddux, a senior adviser to Paxton, responded by accusing The Times of altering the audio in order to manufacture a narrative.
“Our latest poll from the last week has Ken Paxton leading by three points, and every serious pollster will tell you that our numbers have improved since early September,” Maddux said.
“Ken Paxton is going to win this race, and he looks forward to closing strong alongside President Trump, including when he comes to Texas this week.”
Yet with only five weeks remaining before Election Day, several recent surveys have shown Paxton narrowly behind Democrat James Talarico. Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc, has also committed $20 million to the embattled campaign.
Trump has offered a starkly different interpretation, claiming days after the convention that it had delivered a significant lift to Paxton’s campaign.
“The fact that we had such a successful convention really helped Ken Paxton,” Trump said at the time. “He was a big part of it… the convention helped Ken Paxton a lot.”
Despite Trump’s confident public messaging, Republican candidates and party insiders are privately concerned that November’s midterm elections could cost the GOP its majorities in both the House and Senate.
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Is it ever acceptable for politicians to criticize their own party leaders behind closed doors while showing loyalty in public?
Paxton has narrowly trailed Democrat James Talarico in a string of recent surveys, and Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc, has already thrown $20 million behind his struggling bid
Democrats currently hold at least slim polling leads in six of the likeliest Senate tipping-point states, Texas, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska, according to multiple polling averages.
Losing either chamber would hand Democrats the power to launch committee investigations into the Trump administration, and potentially open the door to another impeachment.
