Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton told donors at a private fundraiser last week that President Donald Trump's midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month had hurt him politically, according to audio obtained by The New York Times.

In a recording, a person believed to be Paxton is asked, "Do you feel like he's a little bit of a drag?" It's not clear in the audio about whom the questioner is referring.

"So to be honest with you, the numbers -- when we did that convention -- it dropped our numbers. Everybody's numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good," someone reported to be Paxton said in response to the question.