Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaking with attendees at the 2025 AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton is starting the week with a fresh PR crisis - this time over a leaked audio recording in which he said he has little control over his campaign's own messaging.

The recording comes as Paxton, Texas' scandal-wracked attorney general, struggles to gain momentum in his Senate race and faces criticism from significant figures inside his own party, including Karl Rove and former Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus.