Paxton Blames Trump's Midterm Convention for Campaign Struggles.
Audio from a Sept. 24 closed-door fundraiser in Washington captures Paxton telling donors the GOP midterm convention in Dallas hurt his polling numbers and those of Republicans broadly.
- "Everybody's numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good," Paxton says in the recording.
- About a dozen people attended the fundraiser, hosted by lobbyists Susan Hirschmann and Chris Brinson.
- Republicans planned to spend $150 million to $200 million supporting Paxton's campaign.
- RealClearPolling averages showed Paxton trailing Talarico by 2.9 points as of Wednesday.
Why it matters: Paxton is locked in a competitive race in a state Democrats have not won statewide in more than three decades.
- Trump publicly said the Dallas convention "really helped" Paxton — the opposite of what Paxton told donors privately.
- Trump's super PAC funds are central to Paxton's ad campaign against Talarico.
How 31 sources split on this story
Where they split: Whether the recording reveals a genuine rift with Trump or is, as Paxton's camp argues, a manufactured story built on manipulated audio.
Center coverage, 9 sources: The center presents the recording factually alongside polling data, letting the numbers and Paxton's own words carry the story without predicting consequences.
Left coverage, 14 sources: The left frames the audio as proof Paxton is a disloyal opportunist whose candidacy is collapsing, and predicts Trump will retaliate by pulling campaign funding.
Right coverage, 8 sources: The right acknowledges the story but leads with Paxton's adviser calling it manipulated, and emphasizes the campaign's internal poll showing Paxton ahead by three points.
What’s next: Trump is set to visit Denton, Texas on Thursday to tour a truck manufacturing facility.
- The general election is less than five weeks away.
- Will Trump withdraw financial support or public backing from Paxton following the leaked remarks?
- Will Sen. John Cornyn, who has not backed Paxton after a bitter primary, respond to the audio?
