Report: Ken Paxton privately said Trump’s midterm convention hurt poll numbers

Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton told a small group of donors and lobbyists in Washington that President Trump’s Dallas midterm convention damaged his standing, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.

On the audio, which the Times described as muffled in places, Mr. Paxton is asked whether someone is “a little bit of a drag.” The questioner does not name anyone. Paxton replies that the convention “dropped our numbers,” adding: “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”

The Times reported that an attendee who opposes Mr. Paxton’s campaign supplied the recording and was granted anonymity. The paper said three other people with knowledge of the event confirmed Mr. Paxton was there, and two recalled the question being asked. One recalled his answer. 

Mr. Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux dismissed the report as “manipulated nonsense.” He said the campaign’s latest poll shows Mr. Paxton up 3 points and that “every serious pollster” sees improvement since early September. Mr. Maddux said Mr. Paxton looks forward to campaigning with Mr. Trump when the president visits Texas this week.

The Times reported that the fundraiser was last Thursday, hosted by Republican lobbyists Susan Hirschmann and Chris Brinson near Capitol Hill. They did not respond to requests for comment.

The remarks stand out because Mr. Paxton has tied himself closely to the president, who backed him over Sen. John Cornyn in a bitter primary. Mr. Paxton had a prominent role at the midterm convention, where Mr. Trump praised his record while joking about his appearance and dress. The Times reported that Mr. Paxton also used the event to meet donors and raise money for allied groups.

The Times said Mr. Paxton has trailed narrowly in many recent polls against Democrat James Talarico. It also said the convention does not appear to have significantly moved public surveys of the race. Mr. Trump’s approval stood at 43% in Texas in an August poll from the Texas Politics Project, according to the Texas Tribune.

The Times reported that MAGA Inc., Mr. Trump’s super PAC, has now put $20 million behind Mr. Paxton. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that MAGA Inc. had announced it would spend $10 million and that the Senate Leadership Fund had contributed about $43 million.

Mr. Trump has rejected the idea that the convention hurt. A few days afterward, he said it “helped Ken Paxton a lot.”