Ken Paxton heard saying Trump’s GOP midterm convention hurt him: Report

Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton told donors at a private fundraiser last week that President Donald Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month had hurt him politically, according to audio obtained by The New York Times.

In a recording, a person believed to be Paxton is asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” It’s not clear in the audio about whom the questioner is referring.

“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good,” someone reported to be Paxton said in response to the question.

Three other people with knowledge of the event confirmed to the New York Times that Paxton was at the private fundraiser — with two of those people recalling Paxton’s response about the GOP midterm convention.

The Paxton campaign pushed back against the report, calling it “manipulated nonsense.” When News asked specifically whether the campaign was claiming the audio was manipulated, the Paxton campaign did not respond.

News reached out to the White House for comment, but did not receive a response.

Paxton’s comments are noteworthy, given how he has aligned himself with Trump, earning his endorsement ahead of the Texas Senate runoff earlier this year. Trump backed Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary.

A recent ReconMR Texas Poll found that the Senate race in Texas remains tight, as 49% of likely voters said they would vote for Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico if the election were held today and 43% said they would vote for Paxton.

During the GOP midterm convention, Trump both praised Paxton and mocked him for his appearance.

“He may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen. But you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator,” Trump said in early September.

Paxton’s comments about the midterm convention also paint a larger picture of how some GOP candidates feel Trump’s low approval rating, along with the political environment where voters are concerned about prices, could hurt them politically.

Several Republicans running in competitive statewide and federal races are joining growing calls in their party to end the war in Iran, including battleground Senate candidates Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Texas later this week to deliver economic remarks at a truck manufacturing company — a visit that comes five weeks before Election Day and as Texas is home to many key races.