5 minPolitics
Paxton Says He Lacks Control of Texas Senate Campaign as D.C. Groups He Once Fought Now Back Him
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, is frustrated by his lack of control over his campaign message as outside groups that once opposed him now spend heavily to keep the seat in GOP hands.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, has told supporters he feels he has little control over his own campaign, according to a recording of a private lunch in Washington, D.C., that has circulated in political circles. The remarks come as the same Washington-based groups that spent millions attacking him during the primary now pour money into the general election to keep the seat in Republican hands.
In audio recorded at a Sept. 24 lunch hosted by a D.C. lobbying firm, Paxton said, «I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming — you know — from D.C.» He added, «I don’t control message or what we’re doing... I don’t have ability to change anything. So I have to live with whatever I’ve got. So it is a challenge.»
A source in Paxton’s political orbit said the nominee appears frustrated by the dynamic. The source spoke after Politico reported on the recording, which it said was provided by someone at the lunch who does not support Paxton. A separate recording from the same gathering, obtained by The New York Times, captured Paxton suggesting that last month’s Republican midterm convention in Dallas had hurt GOP candidates’ polling. «Dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good,» he said, according to that account.
Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux dismissed the reporting as «manipulated nonsense» and said the candidate was referring to super PACs, which by law cannot coordinate directly with campaigns. «Campaigns don’t coordinate with super PACS and that’s obviously what AG Paxton was referring to,» Maddux said. He added that Paxton is «thankful for the support» and knows «how important Texas is to keeping the majority,» pointing to a statewide television buy that began over the weekend.
The race pits Paxton against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in a contest to succeed longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in a bitter primary and runoff. The Texas seat is one of roughly a dozen races that will decide whether Republicans keep their Senate majority in the midterm elections. A projection from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact estimates that up to $850 million could be spent in the race.
During the primary, Paxton cast Cornyn as a «Washington insider» and a «RINO» — a «Republican in name only» — and repeatedly criticized him for being bankrolled by the D.C. Republican establishment. President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton ahead of the runoff. Groups aligned with Cornyn vastly outspent pro-Paxton forces during the primary, running ads that highlighted the attorney general’s political baggage, including a 2023 impeachment vote by the Texas House. Paxton was later acquitted by the state Senate. He is also navigating a contentious divorce after his wife filed last year to end their marriage, citing «biblical grounds» based on «recent discoveries.»
Cornyn, who had the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, warned that a Paxton nomination would force the party to spend millions to hold the seat and could drag down other Republicans. Now, many of the same groups that targeted Paxton during the primary are spending heavily to try to save the seat. «The same people who tore him down earlier this year are now trying to rebuild him,» the Paxton source said, adding that Paxton «genuinely doesn’t like the DC people.»
The latest Fox News poll in the race, conducted Sept. 24-28, showed Talarico with a slight 51%-49% edge over Paxton. The Texas contest, along with Senate showdowns in Ohio, Michigan, Maine, Iowa, and Alaska, is rated a toss-up in the most recent Fox News Power Rankings. The Paxton source said the candidate appears to be in uncharted territory, noting his past ballot-box victories as a state lawmaker and his 2014 election and 2018 and 2022 re-elections as attorney general. «I don’t think he’s ever been in a campaign situation where he’s been the underdog,» the source said.
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