Ken Paxton blames Trump convention for hurting Texas Senate campaign

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Sep 30, 2026

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Embattled Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton is reportedly blaming President Donald Trump’s controversial midterms political convention for hurting his already troubled campaign.

Paxton, who portrays himself as a diehard right-wing MAGA loyalist, was caught on a leaked tape admitting Trump’s high-profile appearance at the two-day event in Dallas dealt a serious blow to his efforts to hold the deep-red seat in the Lone Star State, the New York Times reported.

“So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers,” Paxton told a closed-door gathering of right-wing donors and lobbyists. “Everybody’s numbers dropped.”

The sitting state attorney general tersely conceded that he is in a very tough race against Democratic rising star James Talarico.

“Right now, yeah, not good,” Paxton brusquely told the GOP insiders.

Trump, who did not immediately respond to the Paxton report, has rejected political advice to avoid making himself the center of the midterms political discourse amid his historically rock-bottom approval ratings.

He went ahead with the convention, which drew even more attention the rising price of gas and the war in Iran, and used it to regale Paxton with barbs about his appearance and infamously poor public speaking skills.

Paxton sought to laugh off Trump’s insults and has insisted he welcomes the president’s involvement in his campaign.

A Paxton campaign spokesman responded to the disclosure by calling the report “manipulated nonsense,” but did not deny that Paxton made the taped remarks.

The Paxton campaign also sought to push back against the narrative that he is on a trajectory to become the first Republican in three decades to lose a statewide race in Texas, which Trump carried by 14% in 2024.

It released an internal poll that found Paxton leading Talarico by a 3% margin.

Most recent independent polls have shown Talarico with a small but solid lead heading into the home stretch of the campaign. The Democratic state lawmaker is benefiting from a toxic midterm political environment for Trump and his Republican allies that has caused Latino voters, among other demographic groups, to break sharply against the GOP.

Paxton, who survived an impeachment fight with fellow Republicans over corruption allegations, is also considered a historically weak candidate who is hoping to ride the state’s traditional right-wing lean to victory.

He needs solid support from Trump’s MAGA loyalists, making any possible rift between the two men potential kryptonite for Paxton.

Trump plans to jet into Texas to campaign alongside Paxton later this week.

Democrats need to flip at least four GOP-held seats, including Texas, to take control of the Senate. They are considered heavy favorites to win the House of Representatives.

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