Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently admitted in a private setting that the Republican midterm convention in Dallas had a negative impact on his political standing. The Senate nominee shared his perspective during a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to a group of conservative donors and lobbyists, as reported by the New York Times.
“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good,” Paxton said in an audio recording. This comment came in response to a question about whether he felt like a drag on the ticket, though the context of who the questioner meant remains unclear.
The convention, which took place in Dallas earlier this month, was the first event of its kind hosted by the Republican National Committee. It was designed as a two-day gathering meant to energize the party base. President Trump played a significant role in the event, specifically aiming to boost Paxton after his primary runoff victory against incumbent Senator John Cornyn.
President Trump provided an interesting endorsement during his closing-night speech at the convention
While Trump praised Paxton as “the greatest attorney general in the country,” he also offered some blunt personal critiques. Trump told the crowd that he doesn’t “like the way Ken dresses,” “talks” or “looks.” The President further noted that he did not mind if his comments strained his relationship with the candidate. “I don’t know if he’s going to ever speak to me again, but you know, I don’t care as long as he wins,” Trump said. “I don’t have to speak to him. He’s going to vote the way we would vote. … You got to vote for him.”
Leaked audio of Ken Paxton:
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) September 30, 2026
Q: Do you think Trump is a bit of a drag?
Paxton: To be honest with you, when we did that midterm convention, it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Yeah. Not good. pic.twitter.com/ILMI6gN3R8
The fallout from these remarks and the broader convention atmosphere has caught the attention of opponents. Texas Democratic Party spokesperson Ryan Martin criticized the situation, stating, “This is embarrassing for the President. Texans know that Paxton is a cheater, who only serves his own corrupt self interests, and now Trump gets to experience it firsthand.”
Despite the internal concerns expressed by Paxton, his campaign team is pushing back against the narrative that his standing is suffering. Nick Maddux, a senior adviser to Paxton, dismissed the reports surrounding the audio clip. Maddux stated, “this is more manipulated nonsense from The New York Times to create a story that doesn’t exist.”
He emphasized that polling data shows the campaign is in a strong position. According to Maddux, “every serious pollster will tell you that our numbers have improved since early September” and he remains confident that Paxton “is going to win this race.”
Current data from Decision Desk HQ shows Paxton trailing Democrat James Talarico by 2 percentage points. While Texas has historically been a difficult state for Democrats to win, this particular race is now being viewed as a “toss-up.” Paxton, who has faced a scandal-plagued tenure as attorney general, used his own time at the convention to appeal to voters for their support. He asked the audience for “your prayers” and “your votes.”
Looking ahead, Paxton is expected to join the President during a trip to Denton, Texas, on Thursday.
