In new leaked audio, Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately blamed President Donald Trump’s Iran war and the resulting affordability challenges voters face as his campaign’s “biggest problem.”
The remarks came during a closed-door Washington, D.C. fundraiser last month with donors and lobbyists, audio of which was obtained and published by Axios on Wednesday.
Paxton tried to explain “why” his campaign was “having a hard time with numbers.”
Pressed by one donor on the issues “dragging on” his campaign Paxton replied: “It’s not tariffs… it’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel, over $6 per gallon… people are feeling the pinch.”
He continued. “That’s probably the biggest problem and that pushed out the food prices and everything else… So that’s by far our biggest problem.”
The comments offer a striking private assessment from a Trump-backed Republican just weeks before the midterms and as the administration blames Russia’s war in Ukraine for causing the fuel price spike. Paxton is facing a competitive Senate race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
“We can’t stop the war,” one donor countered.
“Right,” he said, adding: “I have no control over gas prices. So many of the factors in this federal race are uncontrolled. I don’t make the decisions and I don’t know what’s behind some of the decisions.”
Paxton also pointed to his proposed tax-cut package, which includes new housing and health care deductions and an expanded child tax credit, as one way he could address voters’ concerns.
“I’m just trying to figure out ways I can help people. That’s the only way, I can propose legislation,” he said.
A Paxton campaign spokesperson told Axios the recording was a “non-story” and said: “President Trump is doing everything he can to bring prices down, and Ken Paxton is going to Washington to help him by putting money back in families’ pockets.”
The new recording comes as Trump is scheduled to rally with Paxton in San Antonio on Wednesday and just two days after Politico obtained separate leaked audio from the same September fundraiser, in which Paxton admitted he had little control over his own campaign, complaining that “it’s all… coming from D.C.” and that he had “no ability to change anything.”
“I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter,” Paxton said in that recording. “So I have to live with whatever I’ve got. So it is a challenge.”
The post LEAKED AUDIO: Ken Paxton Privately Points to Trump’s Iran War as ‘By Far Our Biggest Problem’ first appeared on Mediaite.