Is everyone around Ken Paxton wearing a wire?
In yet another leaked audio clip — this one shared by Rolling Stone — the Texas attorney general and U.S. Senate candidate was caught stating that Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s campaign is “struggling.”
In the clip shared by Rolling Stone, Paxton said Abbott’s race is “still close” despite the governor’s massive war chest and the fact that his opponent, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, has much lower name recognition. The recording is the latest leaked audio from a Sept. 24 private fundraiser in D.C.
“He didn’t have any primary like I did,” Paxton reportedly said, referring to his brutal battle with incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for the nomination.
“My opponent was well funded and well known,” Paxton added.
“So those are my two disadvantages. One was — three, actually: not having time to raise more money, having the negative ads, and my opponent is well-funded and well-known,” Paxton said in the clip.
Beginning in late September, portions of the recording were provided to various media outlets, with each new excerpt generating its own headlines. Some political observers suspect the recording is being released in stages to inflict maximum damage.
Taken together, the leaked recordings suggest Paxton is attempting to deflect blame for his his lackluster campaign and disappointing poll numbers.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for the Paxton campaign, accused the magazine of selectively quoting from the recording.
“Rolling Stone combing through cherry-picked audio from a private fundraiser is nothing more than a partisan hit job, and it’s the same tired playbook the left has run against Ken Paxton for years,” she said. “It hasn’t worked once. Republicans across Texas are united behind the Attorney General because they know what’s at stake, and no amount of selectively clipped audio is going to change that.”
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