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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Blames Iran War and Fuel Prices for Senate Campaign Woes
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Campaign Pressures Linked to War and Fuel Costs
In a privately recorded conversation with donors and lobbyists at a Washington, D.C., fundraiser, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — the Republican Senate nominee endorsed by former President Donald Trump — said the war with Iran and rising fuel prices are “dragging” down his campaign. He noted that diesel prices above $6 per gallon are causing hardship for consumers, and that higher fuel costs are pushing up food prices and other expenses. Paxton framed affordability as “by far our biggest problem” and suggested the lack of control over these factors explains his “hard time with numbers.”
Political Context and Upcoming Election
Paxton secured the Republican Senate nomination after defeating Sen. John Cornyn in a May runoff, a victory bolstered by Trump’s endorsement despite opposition from other Senate Republicans. He now faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who leads in most polls and could become the first Texas Democrat in the U.S. Senate since the 1980s if elected. The leaked audio surfaced the same day Trump is scheduled to rally with Paxton in San Antonio.
Official Campaign Response
The campaign emphasizes that the candidate’s policy proposals — including new housing and health-care deductions and an expanded child tax credit — are intended to mitigate the cost-of-living pressures Paxton described.