Leaked audio: Paxton tells donors Abbott is "struggling" in Texas governor's race
Rolling Stone obtained audio of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP Senate nominee, telling donors on Sept. 24 that Gov. Greg Abbott is "struggling" against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. Paxton's spokesperson called it a "partisan hit job".
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Rolling Stone obtained leaked audio of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee, telling donors that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is struggling in his re-election race. Raw StoryL “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton privately told donors that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is in trouble in his re-election race” Read at Raw Story ↗ NewsweekN “The recording, obtained by Rolling Stone, comes from a small Washington, D.C., fundraiser on September 24.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2"Yes, Abbott is struggling," Paxton said at the Sept. 24 Washington, D.C., fundraiser, adding that the race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa is "still close" despite the governor's name recognition and fundraising advantage. Raw StoryL ““Yes, Abbott is struggling,” Paxton told an attendee at a small Washington, D.C., fundraiser on Sept. 24.” Read at Raw Story ↗ NewsweekN “Paxton says Abbott's race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa remains tight despite the governor's advantages in money and name recognition.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Left · 1Paxton compared the governor's position with his own, citing his brutal primary with negative ads, little time to raise money, and a well-funded, well-known opponent in Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. Raw StoryL ““So those are my two disadvantages," Paxton added. "One was — three, actually: not having time to raise more money, having the negative ads, and my opponent is well-funded and well-known."” Read at Raw Story ↗
Mixed · 2In another passage Paxton said Abbott is "struggling, but he has a lot of money," while Hinojosa has none, and he predicted Republicans will probably lose some seats in the Texas Legislature. NewsweekN “Paxton tells an attendee that Abbott is "struggling, but he has a lot of money," then adds of Hinojosa, "She has none."” Read at Newsweek ↗ Raw StoryL “He still predicted that Republicans are “going to probably lose some seats” in the state legislature.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Left · 1Raw Story reports Paxton also dismissed attorney general nominee Mayes Middleton, who beat Paxton's preferred candidate in the primary, as having low name ID but $850 million, and blamed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for ending straight-ticket voting, a ban Paxton has defended in court as attorney general. Raw StoryL ““He’s worth $850 million, so he can advertise whatever he wants to, whatever he feels from polling.””“As attorney general, however, Paxton has defended the ban in court.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Mixed · 2The recording was made by an attendee who opposes Paxton's candidacy and is the latest in a series of leaks from the same fundraiser, according to Raw Story; earlier clips had Paxton saying Sen. John Cornyn "wants me to lose" and that Trump's emergency Dallas convention "dropped our numbers". Raw StoryL “The recording was made by an attendee who opposes Paxton’s candidacy and is the latest in a series of leaks from the same fundraiser.” Read at Raw Story ↗ NewsweekN “"When we did that convention, it dropped our numbers," he said.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Centre · 1Newsweek adds that a Texas Tribune clip, in which Paxton said Republicans would "have to suck it up" over federal spending cuts, drew the sharpest response, and that Paxton has since said he will protect Social Security and accused the media of spreading cherry-picked audio. NewsweekN “Paxton has since said he will protect Social Security and accused the media of spreading cherry-picked audio to mislead voters.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Left · 1Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy called the report "nothing more than a partisan hit job" and said Republicans are united behind him despite "selectively clipped audio". Raw StoryL “Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy dismissed the report as “nothing more than a partisan hit job.”” Read at Raw Story ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek says Abbott, seeking a record fourth term, leads Hinojosa by 1 to 4 points in polls released this week, such as Marist (49%-45%) and ReconMR/Siena (48%-47%), while a University of Texas/YouGov poll and a Hinojosa campaign poll have her narrowly ahead; the RealClearPolitics average has Abbott up 1.7 points. NewsweekN “A Marist University poll of 1,196 likely voters, conducted October 8 to 11, had Abbott ahead 49 percent to 45 percent.”“The RealClearPolitics average has Abbott ahead by 1.7 points, 48.3 percent to 46.6 percent.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Centre · 1Abbott spent $69.33 million from July 1 to Sept. 24 against Hinojosa's $12.12 million, according to campaign finance records cited by Newsweek; Hinojosa said Texans "are ready for change". NewsweekN “Abbott spent $69.33 million between July 1 and September 24, more than five times the $12.12 million Hinojosa spent over the same stretch”“"We're leading in this race because Texans are ready for change," Hinojosa said in a statement to Newsweek.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Centre · 1In the Senate race, Talarico has led most polls; Marist had him ahead 47% to 45% among likely voters, and the RealClearPolitics average through Oct. 8 had him up 2.8 points. Early voting runs Oct. 19 to 30, and Election Day is Nov. 3. NewsweekN “Marist's survey released this week had Talarico at 47 percent and Paxton at 45 percent among likely voters.”“Early voting runs from October 19 to October 30, and Election Day is November 3.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Treats the audio as a damaging intra-party betrayal, leading on Paxton's candid remarks about Abbott and other Republicans.
- Emphasis
- Paxton's quotes about Abbott, Middleton, Patrick and the ticket; the Paxton spokesperson's rebuttal at the end.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives no polling or campaign finance context for how close the races are.
- Charged language
- “poison arrow”“stuns”
- For example
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“Ken Paxton stuns with poison arrow aimed at fellow Republican in newly leaked audio” — Raw Story
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Uses the audio as a hook for a data-heavy explainer on how close the Texas governor and Senate races are.
- Emphasis
- Polls, prediction markets, fundraising and spending, the history of Democratic losses in Texas, and strategist commentary.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Omits Paxton's remarks on Middleton, Patrick and straight-ticket voting, and the spokesperson's 'hit job' response; says it reached out to the campaigns.
- Charged language
- “new blow”
- For example
-
“Texas Governor Greg Abbott's reelection campaign took a new blow on Wednesday after leaked audio captured Ken Paxton” — Newsweek
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Rolling Stone obtained audio from a small Washington, D.C., fundraiser on Sept. 24.
- Paxton said Abbott is 'struggling' against Democrat Gina Hinojosa despite the governor's money and name recognition.
- Paxton predicted Republicans would probably lose some seats in the Texas Legislature.
- The audio is the latest in a series of leaks from Paxton's closed-door events.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the audio fairly represents Paxton's views
- Left
- Raw Story reports the clip and Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy's claim that it is a 'partisan hit job' of 'selectively clipped audio'.
- Centre
- Newsweek says the audio left Abbott's campaign with a 'new blow' and notes Paxton has accused media of spreading cherry-picked audio.
Ken Paxton person
Privately described Abbott as struggling and listed his own disadvantages; his spokesperson calls the leak a partisan hit job of selectively clipped audio, and Paxton has accused the media of spreading cherry-picked audio.
““Republicans across Texas are united behind the Attorney General because they know what’s at stake, and no amount of selectively clipped audio is going to change that,” Cercy said.” — Raw Story
“Paxton has since said he will protect Social Security and accused the media of spreading cherry-picked audio to mislead voters.” — Newsweek
Greg Abbott person
Is the subject of Paxton's remarks; Newsweek says it asked his campaign for comment, and no response is reported. He is seeking a record fourth term and skipped Trump's San Antonio rally with Paxton.
“Newsweek reached out to Abbott and Hinojosa campaigns for comment on Wednesday.” — Newsweek
“Abbott skipped Trump's rally with Paxton in San Antonio last week as he faces his own difficult race.” — Newsweek
Left1 article
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Ken Paxton stuns with poison arrow aimed at fellow Republican in newly leaked audio
Mixed Dramatic account of Paxton's candid remarks, with his campaign's denial included at the end.
Centre1 article
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Greg Abbott Is 'Struggling' Ken Paxton Warns: What Texas Polls Show
Neutral Poll-driven explainer placing the leak within a tightening Texas race, with a note that it was produced with an AI assistant.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 14 Oct 15:03 First Raw StoryL Ken Paxton stuns with poison arrow aimed at fellow Republican in newly leaked audio
- 14 Oct 17:42 +2h 39m NewsweekN Greg Abbott Is 'Struggling' Ken Paxton Warns: What Texas Polls Show
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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