Leaked Audio From Ken Paxton Meeting Reveals How Trump’s Midterm Convention Backfired

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s also the Republican nominee for Senate in the state, told a group of conservative donors and lobbyists last week that President Donald Trump’s highly unusual midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month undermined political support for his campaign, according to new audio obtained and published by The New York Times.

The recording allegedly captures Paxton being asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?”

Paxton responded: “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.”

It’s unclear who the question asker was referring to. Paxton made the remark at a private fundraiser in Washington, D.C.

But his rare, candid assessment is notable for a candidate who has closely aligned himself with the president. The convention — a first for either party that broke with the usual midterm playbook and had no nominating power — aimed to energize Republican voters ahead of November.

But several Republicans were reportedly leery of misdirected attention from the economy and issues affecting Americans.

Nick Maddux, a senior adviser for Paxton’s campaign, told the Times that “this is more manipulated nonsense from The New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist.”

Paxton is in a heated contest with Democratic nominee and state Rep. James Talarico, in what the Texas Tribune described as a historically competitive Senate race, with recent polling averages showing Talarico holds a narrow lead.

If Paxton loses, Texas would send a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1988.