Paxton admits Trump's Dallas convention hurt his Texas campaign
Ken Paxton told donors Trump's midterm convention in Dallas dropped his polling numbers across the board.
Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately told donors last week that President Trump's midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month hurt him politically, according to audio obtained by The New York Times.
In a recording, Paxton said the convention "dropped our numbers. Everybody's numbers dropped."
Three people with knowledge of the fundraiser confirmed to the Times that Paxton was there, with two recalling his response. Paxton's campaign called the report "manipulated nonsense" but did not respond when asked if they were claiming the audio itself was fake.
The admission is striking because Paxton has closely aligned himself with Trump, who endorsed him in the primary over incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Paxton's private doubts reveal cracks in the Trump endorsement strategy as some GOP candidates worry his unpopularity costs them races.
- Dallas
- Convention location
- John Cornyn
- Primary opponent
- James Talarico
- General election opponent
- 49 percent Talarico, 43 percent Paxton
- Recent poll
Why it mattersPaxton's private doubts reveal cracks in the Trump endorsement strategy as GOP candidates worry his unpopularity costs them races.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet. The story signals how US political alignments may shift if Trump becomes a liability rather than an asset.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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