Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for the Texas Senate race, recently told supporters that outgoing Sen. John Cornyn wants him to lose, according to audio obtained by CNN.
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The comments sharply contrast with the more welcoming tone Paxton has sought to strike, as he has publicly said he would “love to have” Cornyn’s support in the general election.
“He’s clearly not helping. He wants me to lose,” the Texas attorney general said last month at a private fundraiser, where he reportedly made other controversial statements.
Cornyn has kept his distance from Paxton’s Senate campaign since their bitter and expensive GOP runoff. But the recent remarks reveal the lingering discord between the two Republicans as Paxton faces a tightening general election race against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
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In August, Cornyn told The Texas Tribune that Paxton is a “poor campaigner.” A person close to Paxton told the outlet at the time that the attorney general has reached out to Cornyn multiple times and been met with silence.
This recording is not the first leaked audio to place Paxton in a tight spot. The New York Times last month obtained audio from the same Washington fundraiser in which Paxton said President Donald Trump’s midterm convention has tanked support for Republican candidates. The Times reported that the person who recorded it opposed Paxton’s campaign.
Cornyn, meanwhile, has still not endorsed Paxton, though he has said he wants the GOP to retain control of the Senate and has held fundraisers for other Republican Senate candidates in competitive battleground races.
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