Senate nominee Ken Paxton on Thursday and once again couldn't resist a dig, calling him "a little bit controversial" as the state attorney general trails Democratic state Representative James Talarico 19 days before the midterm elections. Speaking at the White House, Trump offered the remark before praising Paxton’s time in office. I mean, I understand some people are controversial, etc.,” Trump said.
But Ken is a little bit controversial. The comments reflect a pattern that has emerged since Paxton won the nomination with Trump's backing over Republican Senator John Cornyn. Trump has campaigned for Paxton several times but rarely mentions him without taking a jab at him.
September 9, Republican Party Midterm Convention, Dallas: Trump joked about Paxton's appearance, saying he looked “very spiffy” in his blue suit while noting that some people might not like the way he dresses. He also said Paxton “may not dress right,” “may not talk exactly perfectly” and “may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.” September 10, Republican Party Midterm Convention, Dallas: Trump said: “I don’t really like the way he looks,” and joked that he didn't know if Paxton would “ever talk to me again” after hearing the remarks about his appearance. October 1, Peterbilt Motors truck plant, Denton, Texas: Trump praised Paxton for standing by him during his legal battles but admitted that he “could be a pain in the ass sometimes.” October 1, rally in Durant, Oklahoma: Trump urged voters to send Paxton to the Senate “whether you love him or don’t love him,” calling him “a little controversial, just slightly.” At the Durant rally, Trump also played recently leaked audio of Paxton criticizing the Republican convention.
The recording was published by The New York Times on September 30. It came from a September 24 gathering of donors and lobbyists in which Paxton discussed his standing in the polls. Right now, yeah, not good,” Paxton said on the tape.
Trump has not publicly rebuked Paxton over the recording. Instead, he told reporters he had “no regrets” about endorsing him. Recent polls show Talarico narrowly ahead of Paxton.
A Marist poll conducted October 8-11 found Talarico at 47 percent and Paxton at 45 percent among likely voters, within the survey's 4.9-point margin of error. Among registered voters, Talarico led by 4 points, down slightly from 6 points last month. Independents who said they were likely to vote broke for Talarico, with 52 percent backing him.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
