'Teach those Republicans a lesson': Leaked audio reveals Paxton's bold claim about an ex-rival
Scoop: Ken Paxton privately complained John Cornyn “wants me to lose,” as their years-long feud boils over in a high-stakes Senate race The latest leak from a Paxton fundraiser last month: https://t.co/Yy982qrlJ4 #TXSEN https://t.co/6vxJEEmo7W
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) October 9, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton, whom President Donald Trump has endorsed, is facing heightened scrutiny over leaked recordings from a Washington fundraiser.
Clips from the closed-door event have revealed his privately shared thoughts on everything from President Trump’s war with Iran to his claim that his Senate campaign is being controlled by Washington.
New leaked clip targets Ken Paxton's former primary rival
In another leaked recording from the event released Friday, October 9, Paxton accused his former primary rival John Cornyn of wanting him to lose in November.
The latest audio recording obtained by CNN’s Patrick Svitek discloses Paxton’s chat about Cornyn, a senator since 2002, who lost the May GOP primary after Trump refused to endorse him.
“He’s clearly not helping me. He wants me to lose,” Paxton can be heard saying in the clip.
Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in a race that has tightened in recent weeks.
What Ken Paxton says John Cornyn told his friend
Ken Paxton then goes on to tell a story about his friend who ran into Cornyn at a Dallas restaurant.
Paxton said the encounter took a turn when his friend praised Cornyn for backing the GOP ticket.
“I’ll tell you a story that just happened three nights ago,” Paxton can be heard saying on the tape from the September 24 event in Washington.
“A friend of mine was in Cafe Pacific, a restaurant in Dallas, and he ended up at a table next to Cornyn. And so he told the waiter I want to buy his [Cornyn's] dinner, and the waiter thinks somebody already did. He [Paxton’s friend] said OK. But he [the waiter] said that it's his wife’s birthday. They didn’t buy dessert. So my friend bought dessert,” Paxton said.
Paxton said Cornyn then came over to shake his friend’s hand.
When Cornyn thanked him for dessert, Paxton’s friend said that the dessert was for his service to Texas.
“He goes: ‘I realize it’s hard to lose an election, but it shows a lot of character that you’re supporting the ticket and you’re supporting Ken Paxton,'” Paxton said on the tape.
“And he — Cornyn’s face went red. He backed off and he said, ‘Paxton’s gonna lose. We need to teach those Republicans a lesson. It’s going to be hard to learn, but they need to know that their decisions have consequences. We need to make sure they understand it’. That’s what he’s trying to do. That’s John Cornyn,” Paxton said.
