Ken Paxton Privately Claims Trump Convention Hurt Polling

Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately told conservative donors and lobbyists that a midterm convention in Dallas hosted by Donald Trump negatively impacted political polling for candidates. In an audio recording obtained by The New York Times, Paxton stated that "everybody’s numbers dropped" following the event.

These private remarks contrast with Paxton's public loyalty to Trump, who has praised Paxton as the "greatest attorney general in America" and claimed the convention helped the campaign. Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC has invested $20 million to support Paxton in his race against Democratic rival James Talarico.

Senior adviser Nick Maddux dismissed the recording as "manipulated nonsense from The New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist." Maddux asserted that Paxton is leading by three points in recent polling and remains focused on closing the race alongside Trump.