Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton conceded that the political environment is looking “challenging” for his party ahead of the midterms, admitting that the GOP needs some help.
In an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, the Texas Senate hopeful was pressed on why his race against Democratic nominee Rep. James Talarico is “so close,” and offered some rare candor that sounded a lot like a plea for help.
“It’s a different environment,” Paxton admitted, adding that midterm elections are “always challenging,” before emphasizing that he would “have to win this” to help Republicans hold on to the Senate.
Bartiromo, 58, then pressed Paxton on just how important the Texas race is to the GOP’s hopes of keeping its majority. He conceded, “I don’t think we can hold onto it unless we hold Texas,” adding that losing the state would “send a terrible message.”
Paxton, 63, then turned his attention to Talarico, 37, attacking his Democratic opponent and pointing to the campaign’s fundraising advantage. He ended by directing Fox News viewers to his website to help his campaign, with a blunt admission: “We need help!”
Three consecutive polls have shown Talarico leading the scandal-plagued Texas attorney general, adding to the sense that Paxton’s path to the Senate is looking increasingly precarious.
A July survey of 1,200 likely voters put Talarico ahead 47 percent to 45 percent. A Fox News poll gave the progressive Democrat a three-point lead over Paxton, 51 percent to 48 percent, while a Texas Public Opinion Research survey had Talarico up 45 percent to 40 percent.
The Texas Senate race is expected to be one of the biggest fights of the midterms. If Talarico manages to pull off a win, it would be a huge upset for Republicans and give Democrats a major boost as they look to take back the Senate. The win would also make the representative the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas in decades.
Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump, 80, who has the president’s endorsement, has a long rap sheet of political scandals. He was impeached by Texas Republicans over allegations of fraud and obstruction of justice, has faced years of corruption allegations, and saw his wife file for divorce last year on “biblical grounds” after allegations of affairs came to light.
Republicans are heading into Nov. 3 fighting to protect their razor-thin majorities in both the House and Senate, with polling suggesting they have a tough road ahead.
Trump, for his part, has already started distancing himself from the possibility of a Republican wipeout, suggesting that any voter backlash would be aimed at his party—not him.
In an interview with Punchbowl News published Friday, the president said that if voters decide not to back Republicans, “They’re angry at Republicans, but they’re not angry at me.” But the polling tells a different story, with Trump’s own approval ratings remaining underwater and suggesting that voter dissatisfaction with the GOP may have plenty to do with the president and his administration.
While Paxton pointed to Sen. Ted Cruz, 55, who narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 2.6 percentage points in 2018, as an example of the kind of race Republicans can win, Talarico said that he “didn’t think it was possible to find a candidate worse than Ted Cruz, but I think we found him in Ken Paxton.”
