Paxton admits Trump’s Iran war and US gas prices are plaguing Republicans in leaked audio

Texas attorney general acknowledged affordability was his party’s ‘biggest problem’ heading into the midterms

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Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general running as the Republican candidate in a competitive Senate race, admitted privately that rising fuel prices as a result of Donald Trump’s Iran war were hurting his party before the midterms in the latest leaked audio recording.

Asked what issues were “dragging” his campaign at a closed-door fundraising event, Paxton replied, “It’s not tariffs … it’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” according to an audio recording shared with Axios.