DALLAS — Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton reportedly told conservative donors that his polling numbers fell after the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, a comment that contrasts with President Donald Trump’s public assessment of the event.
The New York Times obtained audio of Paxton speaking to conservative donors and lobbyists in Washington, D.C., last week. According to the report, Paxton said his campaign’s numbers dropped after the convention and that the numbers for other candidates also declined.
“So to be honest with you, the numbers—when we did that convention—it dropped our numbers,” Paxton reportedly said when an attendee asked whether Trump had become a drag on his polling. “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”
Trump had offered a different assessment of the convention’s impact on Paxton’s campaign. During a Sept. 13 appearance in Ireland, Trump said the event had been “very successful” and that he believed it had helped Paxton.
Paxton’s campaign disputed the New York Times report. Senior adviser Nick Maddux denied that Paxton made the comments attributed to him.
Maddux also said the campaign’s latest poll, conducted the previous week, showed Paxton leading by three percentage points. He said Paxton’s numbers had improved since early September and that the Republican nominee expected to campaign with Trump during the president’s planned Texas visit this week.
Trump endorsed Paxton in May during the Republican primary, when Paxton faced outgoing U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Trump has since reaffirmed his support for Paxton’s Senate bid.
During his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Trump praised Paxton and called him “the greatest Attorney General in America” while endorsing his candidacy.
As of Wednesday, Paxton trailed Democratic nominee James Talarico in a collection of polls. Texas will hold its 2026 midterm elections on Nov. 3.
