DNC chair Ken Martin calls Trump an anchor on Republican candidates
Ken MartinChair of the Democratic National Committee
Martin says Republicans built their campaign around Trump and that Paxton's remarks show voters noticed, calling Trump an anchor on Republican candidates.
Responding to
The Republican midterm convention in Dallas lowered Paxton's poll numbers and those of other Republicans.
“They put Trump on full display and now they're shocked voters noticed. We told you the guy was an anchor. Thanks for insisting on tying him around the neck of every Republican on the ballot.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Paxton recorded saying Trump's Dallas convention 'dropped our numbers'; his campaign calls it manipulated
The New York Times published an audio recording on September 30, 2026, in which Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton tells donors at a private fundraiser that the Republican midterm convention in Dallas "dropped our numbers." Paxton's campaign called the recording "manipulated nonsense" and said its polling had improved, Paxton later said the clip did not reflect what he meant, and President Trump called the convention amazing. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said it showed Trump was an anchor for Republican candidates.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Bluesky post by Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, quoting a post by Ron Filipkowski that says Paxton told donors Trump's convention in Texas hurt his campaign.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Martin quoted a post by commentator Ron Filipkowski saying that Paxton had said Trump's convention in Texas hurt his campaign.
After the quotation
Martin posted on the morning the Times published the recording.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Paxton's recorded remark that the Dallas midterm convention "dropped our numbers." Martin accepts that account, saying "they're shocked voters noticed" and calling Trump "an anchor", so we labeled it Defended, meaning he supports the remark's assessment. The closest competing label is Condemned; it loses because his criticism targets Trump and Republican strategy, not the remark itself.
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More from this case
Read the full casePaxton says the clipped remarks are not what he meant
“So just because they were able to clip a few things doesn't mean that that's actually what I meant.”Read statement
Webb says Paxton was caught on tape saying Trump was hurting Republicans
“Reminder: Paxton was literally caught on tape saying Trump making the midterms all about himself was hurting Republicans, including Paxton.”Read statement
Vance says he is not particularly concerned about Paxton's remarks
“I'm not particularly concerned about. We're going to help Ken.”Read statement
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- DNC chair Ken Martin calls Trump an anchor on Republican candidates
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/5988-martin-says-republicans-built-their-campaign-around-trump
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The Dispute Index. "DNC chair Ken Martin calls Trump an anchor on Republican candidates". First published: 2026-10-17. Last updated: 2026-10-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/5988-martin-says-republicans-built-their-campaign-around-trump