Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, acknowledged in leaked audio last month that Gov. Greg Abbott is "struggling" in his bid for reelection. Paxton made the remarks to donors and lobbyists at a private fundraiser in Washington, D.C., according to audio shared by Rolling Stone.
Paxton noted that Abbott, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, has significantly more financial resources and name recognition than his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Recent polling indicates Abbott holds a narrow lead over Hinojosa.
In the same recording, Paxton, who is himself trailing Democratic opponent James Talarico in a series of polls, contrasted his own challenging primary campaign, which he described as "brutal" and filled with negative ads, with Abbott's seemingly less contentious primary.
Paxton also predicted a difficult electoral landscape for Republicans in the upcoming state legislative session, stating, "I don’t see the Texas Legislature getting better” for the party, and adding, “We’re probably going to lose some seats."
This leaked audio is the latest in a series of revelations from private events where Paxton has attributed campaign difficulties to factors such as Donald Trump's past actions, increased fuel prices, and Trump's midterm convention in Dallas, which Paxton described as a "drag" on his campaign.
In one clip shared by Politico, Paxton told attendees that his campaign's challenges were "all coming from D.C." Another recording obtained by The Texas Tribune featured Paxton warning that cuts to federal benefits programs could become a "reality" and that people would need to "suck it up."
Paxton has dismissed the leaked audio, telling Fox News on Sunday that he was "not worried about it at all" and that the clips did not reflect his true meaning. A spokesperson for Paxton told Rolling Stone that the leak was a "partisan hit job" that "cherry-picked audio from a private fundraiser." The spokesperson added that Republicans are united behind Paxton and that "selectively clipped audio" would not alter that support.