Leaked audio published Wednesday by The New York Times appears to show Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton telling donors that a recent Republican midterm convention in Dallas negatively affected polling numbers for the party's candidates. In the recording, Paxton was asked if an unnamed individual was "a little bit of a drag," to which he reportedly replied that the convention "dropped our numbers" and that "everybody's numbers dropped."
The audio was reportedly recorded during a private fundraiser in Washington last week attended by approximately one dozen people. While the identity of the person who recorded the clip was not disclosed, the Times reported his attendance was confirmed by multiple people, two of whom remembered him being asked the question and one who remembered the response. The two-day event in Dallas, headlined by President Donald Trump in September, was designed to build support for Republican candidates.
President Trump addressed the report from the Oval Office on Wednesday, stating he "hadn't heard that" regarding Paxton's remarks. He defended the convention as "amazing" and argued that "other people were helped greatly" by the event. Paxton senior advisor Nick Maddux dismissed the audio as "manipulated nonsense" and released an internal poll from Pulse Decision Science showing Paxton leading his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, by three points, 48% to 45%.
The Texas Democratic Party issued a statement calling Paxton's comments "embarrassing to the president," while Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)—whom Paxton defeated in a primary runoff—remarked "whoops!" when asked about the audio. Cornyn noted that Paxton has not led in public polls and warned that the current election environment is "tough." Talarico, who has led in several recent public polls, appeared at a virtual event on Wednesday but did not mention the recording.
For Texas residents, the report comes as the midterm election approaches. The reported polling drop, if accurate, suggests a change in how voters perceive the state's Republican leadership and its alignment with national party figures. This could influence the allocation of campaign funds and the frequency of high-profile appearances, such as President Trump's scheduled visit to Denton.
The tension between the Paxton campaign and national reporting outlets like The New York Times also impacts campaign narratives. What happens next includes President Trump's scheduled campaign stop at a Peterbilt Motors facility in Denton on Thursday, where Paxton is expected to appear despite forecasts of heavy rain and potential flooding in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.