A source in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's political orbit tells Fox News Digital that the Republican Senate nominee in Texas appears frustrated with a lack of control over his campaign as he faces off against Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in a combustible Senate battle. The source spoke on Monday after Politico reported on an audio recording from late last month where 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." The faceoff in red-leaning Texas between Paxton and Talarico is a race to succeed longtime Republican Sen.
John Cornyn, who Paxton defeated in a bruising primary fight. The contest is one of roughly a dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its Senate majority in the midterm elections. "I don’t control message or what we’re doing...
I don’t have ability to change anything," Paxton added on the audio recording. "So I have to live with whatever I’ve got. So it is a challenge." WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN TEXAS SHOWS Paxton made the comments, according to the report, during a Sept. 24 lunch in the nation's capital hosted by a D.C.-based lobbying firm.
Politico reported it obtained the recording from a person attending the lunch who does not support Paxton. "Campaigns don’t coordinate with super PACS and that’s obviously what AG Paxton was referring to," Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux told Fox News Digital in a statement. Super PACs and other outside groups are legally prohibited from directly coordinating with candidates and campaigns over spending and other expenditures.
Maddux added, "AG Paxton is thankful for the support and knows how important Texas is to keeping the majority, which is why he’s on the ground every day talking to Texas, raising money, and taking his message directly to the people including with his statewide television buy that started over this past weekend." WHO'S UP AND WHO'S DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS MIDTERM POWER RANKINGS Paxton's frustration at the lunch appeared to extend beyond his lack of control over outside spending. In a separate recording from the same gathering obtained by The New York Times, Paxton suggested last month's GOP midterm convention in Dallas had hurt Republican candidates' polling. Everybody's numbers dropped.
Right now, yeah, not good," Paxton said. Maddux described the reporting as "manipulated nonsense." As he campaigned against Cornyn in the March primary and a May runoff, Paxton characterized the senator as a "Washington insider" and a "RINO" — which stands for "Republican in name only." And Paxton, known as a MAGA firebrand, showcased his outsider credentials and support for President Donald Trump. The president made an 11th-hour endorsement of Paxton ahead of the runoff.
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