Ken Paxton says Trump's convention and D.C. control hurt his Senate campaign

Who's involved

• Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate nominee
• James TalaricoDemocratic U.S. Senate nominee, state representative from Austin
• Donald TrumpPresident
• Nick MadduxPaxton campaign adviser

The facts

• Audio from Sept. 24 fundraiser in Washington captured Paxton saying the Dallas Republican convention 'dropped our numbers.'^{1 2 4 6} Stated by 4 sources
• Paxton said in leaked audio he has never felt 'less control over the campaign' and that messaging 'all coming from D.C.'^{4 5 6} Stated by 3 sources
• Fox News poll of 1,203 registered voters showed Talarico leading Paxton 53% to 45%, conducted Sept. 24-28.^{1 3} Stated by 2 sources
• New York Times/Siena poll found Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 45% among 615 likely voters, conducted Sept. 21-30.⁶
• Trump's approval rating in Texas was 44 percent positive and 55 percent negative in Fox News poll.^{1 3} Stated by 2 sources
• At the GOP convention, Trump said Paxton 'may not be the best-looking guy' but is 'the greatest attorney general in America.'^{1 4} Stated by 2 sources
• Paxton's campaign called the Times report 'manipulated nonsense.'^{1 2} Stated by 2 sources

Who said what

These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.

• Ken Paxton Trump's midterm convention in Dallas dropped his poll numbers.^{1 2 4 6}
• Ken Paxton Washington D.C. controls his campaign messaging, not his own team.^{4 5 6}
• Nick Maddux (Paxton campaign adviser) Paxton was referring to super PACs and independent groups, not Trump's team.^{4 6}
• Paxton campaign Paxton's own polling shows him with a 3-point lead.¹