Ken Paxton expresses frustration over campaign control in Senate race against James Talarico

<p>A source in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's political orbit told Fox News Digital that the Republican Senate nominee in Texas appears frustrated with a lack of control over his campaign as he faces off against Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in a competitive Senate race.</p><p>The source spoke on Monday after Politico reported on an audio recording from late last month where Paxton stated, "I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming — you know — from D.C."</p><p>The contest in Texas between Paxton and Talarico is to succeed longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who Paxton defeated in a primary election. This race is one of several that will determine if the GOP retains its Senate majority in the upcoming midterm elections.</p><p>"I don’t control message or what we’re doing... I don’t have ability to change anything," Paxton added in the audio recording. "So I have to live with whatever I’ve got. So it is a challenge."</p><p>Paxton made the comments during a lunch in Washington, D.C., hosted by a lobbying firm. Politico reported that it obtained the recording from a person attending the lunch who does not support Paxton.</p><p>"Campaigns don’t coordinate with super PACs and that’s obviously what AG Paxton was referring to," Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux told Fox News Digital in a statement.</p><p>Super PACs and other outside groups are legally prohibited from directly coordinating with candidates and campaigns regarding spending and other expenditures.</p><p>Maddux added, "AG Paxton is thankful for the support and knows how important Texas is to keeping the majority, which is why he’s on the ground every day talking to Texas, raising money, and taking his message directly to the people including with his statewide television buy that started over this past weekend."</p><p>Paxton's frustration appeared to extend beyond his lack of control over outside spending. In a separate recording from the same gathering obtained by The New York Times, Paxton suggested that last month's GOP midterm convention in Dallas had negatively impacted Republican candidates' polling.</p><p>"Dropped our numbers. Everybody's numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good," Paxton said.</p><p>Maddux described the reporting as "manipulated nonsense."</p><p>During his campaign against Cornyn in the March primary and a May runoff, Paxton characterized Cornyn as a "Washington insider" and a "RINO" (Republican in name only). Paxton, known for his support of former President Donald Trump, received an endorsement from Trump ahead of the runoff.</p><p>Paxton has faced various scandals and legal issues over the past decade, including a 2023 vote by the Texas House of Representatives to impeach him. He was acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. Paxton is also currently dealing with a contentious divorce.</p><p>Cornyn, supported by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, argued that if Paxton won the nomination, the party would need to spend millions to retain the seat and that Republicans down-ballot would be adversely affected.</p><p>Many groups that targeted Paxton during the primary are now spending significantly to support him in the Senate race. A projection from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact estimates that up to $850 million will be spent in the race.</p><p>The latest Fox News poll in the race, conducted from September 24-28, showed Talarico with a slight 51%-49% lead over Paxton.</p><p>The race in Texas, along with Senate contests in Ohio, Michigan, Maine, Iowa, and Alaska, is rated a toss-up in the most recent Fox News Power Rankings.</p><p>According to the source, Paxton appears to be in unfamiliar territory, noting his past successes in elections as a state lawmaker and attorney general.</p>