Leaked Audio Catches Paxton Blaming the Iran War for His Senate Struggles
The recording, obtained by Axios from a private fundraiser last month, surfaced Wednesday — hours before Trump was set to campaign with him in Texas.
Leaked audio captured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blaming the war with Iran for his campaign’s troubles. Axios obtained the recording from a private fundraiser in Washington, D.C., last month and published it Wednesday morning.
The leak landed hours before President Trump was set to campaign with Paxton in Texas on Wednesday evening. Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, is facing Democrat James Talarico.
The United States has been at war with Iran in a campaign the Pentagon calls Operation Epic Fury. Trump has repeatedly insisted the conflict will settle down soon.
“It’s not tariffs,” Paxton said in the recording. “It’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel.”
Paxton said fuel costs are driving the race. “When it’s over $6 per gallon for diesel ... people are feeling the pinch,” he said, noting that diesel prices push food prices up as well. He called cost-of-living concerns “by far our biggest problem” and “why we’re having a hard time with numbers.”
When an audience member noted that he can’t control gas prices, Paxton replied: “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.”
A different tone from his public stance
The comments contrast with Paxton’s public position. He has defended U.S. involvement, saying Trump was right to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The leak is the third major audio leak involving Paxton in recent days. An earlier clip had him venting about the influence of Washington Republicans over his campaign. Another had him criticizing last month’s GOP midterm convention in Dallas, saying it hurt his poll numbers. It is unclear whether all three recordings came from the same source or the same event.
The state of the race
The latest RealClearPolitics average shows Talarico leading Paxton by 3.1 points. The midterm election is Nov. 3, 27 days away. Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988.
Money is pouring into the contest. The Texas Tribune reported that $122 million was spent in the race last month.
Talarico canceled at least two campaign events this week after coming down with the flu. Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the May primary runoff.
The campaign’s response
The Paxton campaign called the leak “a non-story.” In a statement, the campaign said: “What every Texan already knows: gas and diesel prices are too high. ... 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.”
Background
Paxton was impeached by the Texas legislature in 2023 and acquitted by the state Senate. In 2024, he resolved a 2015 securities fraud indictment through an agreement that included restitution, legal ethics classes and community service.
