Another leaked recording of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has surfaced, this time capturing the embattled Republican Senate hopeful saying fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is “struggling” in his reelection bid.
Rolling Stone obtained the audio and released it Wednesday, offering a fresh look at Paxton’s private take on the state of play in Texas politics.
The clip opens with a voice asking, “We hear Abbott is struggling, but is that-?”
Paxton jumps in before the question is finished.
“Yes,” he says. “Abbott is struggling, but he has a lot of money.”
“She has none,” Paxton adds, referring to Abbott’s Democratic challenger, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa.
“And if I asked 99 people in a room, or 100 people in a room, maybe one would know-” Paxton continues, before static cuts off the remainder of the sentence.
“No name ID, and he’s still close. And he didn’t have any primary like I did that was brutal with all the negative ads. So those are my two disadvantages,” Paxton says.
He goes on to lay out what he sees as the obstacles in his own path.
“One was — three, actually — not having time to raise more money, having the negative ads, and my opponent was well-funded and well-known,” he says. “Whereas the rest of the ticket — who knows the Democrats? — there’s not a single, like I said, who’s running for Texas AG as a Democrat? You wouldn’t know. Who’s running as lieutenant governor? I can’t even name her name.”
Paxton is then asked about the prospects of Mayes Middleton, the Republican candidate seeking to replace him as attorney general.
“He’s probably riding along with the governor somewhere,” Paxton answers.
“It’s not like his name ID is super high, but he spent a lot of money on the primary,” he continues. “And he has money, and he can spend. So he’s gonna be in better shape. And he’s worth $850 million, so he can advertise whatever he wants to, whatever he feels from polling.”
Toward the end of the recording, Paxton admits that Republicans in the Texas legislature will “probably lose some seats” to Democrats.
The newly released audio is just the latest in a string of leaked recordings involving Paxton, suggesting that a number of people with access to the attorney general have been recording him behind the scenes.
Outlets including Politico, Axios and CNN have obtained other clips in which the Republican can be heard complaining about a wide range of topics, from President Donald Trump to his assertion that he doesn’t even control his own campaign.
Taken together, the recordings have offered voters a rare, unfiltered look at how Paxton privately views his Senate campaign and the broader Republican ticket in Texas.
In the newest clip, Paxton touches on nearly every corner of the state’s political landscape, weighing in on Abbott’s reelection fight, the race to succeed him as attorney general, the Democrats on the ballot and the GOP’s footing in the legislature.
He also gives a blunt account of his own hurdles, citing a brutal primary filled with negative ads, too little time to raise money and an opponent who was both well-funded and well-known.
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