Ken Paxton privately acknowledged that Donald Trump’s midterm convention had damaged his poll numbers, according to a leaked audio recording that has emerged just five weeks before election day in Texas.
The Republican Senate nominee made the comments at a small fundraiser near Capitol Hill last Thursday, attended by about a dozen conservative donors and lobbyists. The recording was passed to the New York Times by someone opposed to his campaign.
An attendee asked Paxton whether an unnamed figure was weighing on his campaign, saying: “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” The muffled audio does not make clear who the question referred to.
Paxton replied: “When we did that convention… it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”
The remarks appear at odds with Paxton’s public standing as one of Trump’s most loyal political allies. Trump endorsed him during a bitter Republican primary, helping him defeat long-serving Senator John Cornyn and secure the party’s nomination.
Trump had personally promoted the unusual midterm gathering, held in Dallas this month. The event largely served as a celebration of his time in the White House, with Paxton given a prominent seat and a visible role in fundraising.
Trump praised Paxton on stage as the best attorney general in the country, while also joking about his appearance and clothing. Days later, he claimed the convention had strengthened Paxton’s campaign.
“The fact that we had such a successful convention really helped Ken Paxton,” Trump said. “He was a big part of it…the convention helped Ken Paxton a lot.”
Paxton’s senior adviser, Nick Maddux, rejected the account and accused the Times of manipulating the recording to create a story.
“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.”
Recent surveys have nevertheless shown Paxton narrowly trailing Democrat James Talarico. Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., has committed $20 million to the Republican’s campaign.
The contest comes as Republican candidates and party figures privately fear that November’s midterm elections could cost the party its majorities in the House and Senate. Democrats hold at least narrow polling leads in six states described as likely Senate tipping points: Texas, Maine, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Alaska.
A loss of either chamber would give Democrats the ability to open committee investigations into the Trump administration and could potentially lead to another impeachment.
