WASHINGTON — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was recorded calling the US war with Iran the biggest problem for his Senate bid, in the third major audio leak involving the Republican in recent days.
During a private fundraising event in DC last month, Paxton blamed high fuel prices stemming from Operation Epic Fury for his polling struggles against Democrat James Talarico.
“It’s not tariffs … It’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” he said, according to the audio obtained by Axios and published hours before President Trump was set to stump with him Wednesday evening.
“When it’s over $6 per gallon for diesel … people are feeling the pinch,” Paxton went on, noting that the high cost of fuel “drives up food prices and everything else.”
The Senate hopeful further assessed that cost of living concerns are “by far our biggest problem” and “why we’re having a hard time with numbers.”
When an audience member pointed out that Paxton can’t control gas prices, the candidate responded: “So many factors in this federal race are uncontrollable. I don’t make the decisions, and I don’t … know what’s behind some of the decisions.”
Paxton’s blunt admission came out on the heels of leaked audio showing him venting about DC Republicans’ purported influence over his campaign.
Another clip showed Paxton trashing last month’s GOP midterm convention in Dallas, saying it had a negative impact on his poll numbers.
It’s unclear whether all three audio leaks stemmed from the same source or were recorded at the same fundraising event.
Talarico currently has a 3.1 percentage point edge over Paxton, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average.
Texans have not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, but Republicans have had to dump millions of dollars into the race to keep Paxton in touching distance — with $122 million spent last month, according to the Texas Tribune.
Paxton unseated longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a May primary runoff despite a long history of scandal and controversy — including extramarital affairs and impeachment by the Texas legislature in 2023 on charges of misappropriating public resources, giving preferential treatment to a donor, and obstructing justice.
He was also hit with an indictment on securities fraud charges in 2015, a case which wasn’t resolved until 2024, when he agreed to pay $300,000 in restitution, take legal ethics classes and perform 100 hours of community service
Some GOP operatives, as well as Cornyn, have accused Paxton of running a “lazy” campaign.
Paxton’s campaign argued that the third audio leak “is a non-story.”
“The Attorney General said what every Texan already knows: gas and diesel prices are too high, and hardworking Texans are struggling at the pump and at the grocery store,” the campaign went on.
“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.”
