Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately complained last month that Washington is driving the messaging around his campaign, saying he has little control over his own race.
“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.,” Paxton said at a private fundraiser on Sept. 24, according to audio obtained by Politico.
“I don’t control message or what we’re doing.”
The comments are the second set to emerge from the fundraiser in Washington. Audio released last week captured Paxton blaming President Donald Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas for a decline in his poll numbers.
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In the new recording, Paxton said Texas’ size makes it difficult to reach voters himself, leaving much of the campaign messaging to others.
“But then it comes down to your messaging,” Paxton said, “which in a federal race comes from other people a lot of times, which you don’t control.”
Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux told Politico that Paxton was referring to independent groups supporting his campaign.
“Campaigns don’t coordinate with super PACS and that’s obviously what AG Paxton was referring to,” Maddux said.
Those groups are playing an outsized role in Paxton’s race against the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico. Republicans spent $122 million supporting Paxton in September and had another $66 million in airtime reserved through Election Day as of last week, according to AdImpact data reported by The Texas Tribune. Paxton’s campaign accounted for just $1.2 million of the Republican spending in September.
Texas PAC, a group connected to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, had spent $131 million on the race as of last week, while Trump’s super PAC had spent nearly $24 million, according to the Tribune. Paxton has since launched his own $20 million advertising campaign.
Paxton’s private assessment of the race has repeatedly clashed with the confidence Trump has projected publicly.
Paxton also spent much of the Republican primary against Sen. John Cornyn attacking Washington’s influence and the outside money backing his opponent. Trump endorsed Paxton over Cornyn a week before the May runoff, which Paxton went on to win.
Paxton now faces Talarico with less than a month until Election Day. A New York Times/Siena poll conducted Sept. 21 through Sept. 30 found Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 45% among 615 likely voters, with a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Other recent public polls have also shown a close race.
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