据《滚石》杂志获得的一段私人捐款人活动音频显示，德克萨斯州参议院候选人肯·帕克斯顿警告称，州长格雷格·阿博特在连任竞选中举步维艰，为自己的竞选问题找借口，并承认共和党人很可能在州议会中失去席位。
Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton warned that Governor Greg Abbott is struggling in his bid for reelection, made excuses for his own campaign issues, and conceded that Republicans will likely lose seats in the state legislature, according to audio of a private donor event obtained by Rolling Stone.
“是的，阿博特正在挣扎，”帕克斯顿在9月24日华盛顿特区一场小型筹款活动上对一位与会者表示，指出尽管阿博特在知名度和资金方面优于民主党人吉娜·希诺霍萨，但竞选“仍然胶着”。
“Yes, Abbott is struggling,” Paxton tells an attendee at a small, Washington, D.C., fundraiser on September 24, noting that despite the governor’s name ID and monetary advantage over Democrat Gina Hinojosa, the race is “still close.”
“该死，”房间里另一人回应道，促使帕克斯顿补充说，尽管阿博特“和我一样没有经历过像我那样残酷的初选，充斥着各种负面广告”，他仍在为自己的席位而战。“所以这些就是我的两个劣势。其实是三个：没有时间筹更多资金，遭遇负面广告，以及我的对手资金充足且知名度高，”帕克斯顿说。
“Damn,” another person in the room responds, prompting Paxton to add that Abbott is in a fight for his seat even though “he didn’t have any primary, like I did, that was brutal with all the negative ads.”“So those are my two disadvantages. One was — three, actually: not having time to raise more money, having the negative ads, and my opponent is well-funded and well-known,” Paxton says.
《滚石》杂志获得的这段幕后音频是9月24日筹款活动的一系列泄露内容之一，全部由一名反对帕克斯顿竞选的与会者录制。自九月下旬起，该活动的音频片段和逐字稿已被提供给多家媒体。这些材料共同描绘出一幅图景：候选人私下试图为其竞选表现平平和民调落后推卸责任。帕克斯顿曾在今年共和党初选中获得特朗普背书，他正试图阻止詹姆斯·塔拉里科成为数十年来首位赢得德克萨斯州全州范围选举的民主党人。
The behind-the-scenes audio obtained by Rolling Stone is part of a series of leaks from the Sept. 24 fundraiser, all recorded by an attendee at the event who opposes Paxton’s candidacy. Beginning in late September, portions of the audio and transcripts of the meeting were provided to various media outlets. Together, they paint a picture of a candidate privately attempting to deflect blame for his lackluster campaign and lagging polling numbers. Paxton, whom Donald Trump endorsed in the Republican primary earlier this year, is trying to prevent James Talarico from becoming the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas in decades.
在向《滚石》杂志发表的声明中，帕克斯顿的发言人麦迪逊·瑟西写道：“《滚石》杂志在私人募款活动中挑选音频进行挑剔，这不过是党派攻击的把戏，而且这正是左翼多年来一直用来对付肯·帕克斯顿的老套剧本。它一次也没奏效。得州各地的共和党人团结在司法部长身后，因为他们知道利害关系是什么，而且无论多少经过选择性剪辑的音频都无法改变这一点。”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for Paxton, wrote: “Rolling Stone combing through cherry-picked audio from a private fundraiser is nothing more than a partisan hit job, and it’s the same tired playbook the left has run against Ken Paxton for years. It hasn’t worked once. Republicans across Texas are united behind the Attorney General because they know what’s at stake, and no amount of selectively clipped audio is going to change that.”
在整段录音中，帕克斯顿似乎一直在试图说服与会者，他的竞选困难是由他无法控制的外部因素造成的。他暗示，其他得州共和党人处于比他更有利的位置，因为他们不必经历艰苦的初选和攻击广告的轰炸，或者因为他们面对的民主党人知名度较低、资金也比塔拉里科少。
Throughout the recordings, Paxton seems intent on convincing attendees that external factors outside of his control are to blame for his campaign struggles. He suggests that other Texas Republicans are in a better position to win than he is because they didn’t have to endure a brutal primary and barrage of attack ads, or because they are facing Democrats who are less well known and with less money behind them than Talarico.
“而其他候选人——谁知道民主党人是谁？根本没有——就像，如果我说，‘谁作为民主党人参选得州司法部长？’好的，继续往下看。‘谁作为副州长参选？’我不知道。我甚至说不出她的名字。”尽管如此，帕克斯顿最终预测，共和党人“可能会在得州立法机构中失去一些席位”。
“Whereas the rest of the ticket — who knows the Democrats? There’s not a single — like, if I said, ‘Who’s running for Texas AG as a Democrat?’ OK, moving down. ‘Who’s running as lieutenant governor?’ I don’t know. I can’t even name her name.”Still, Paxton ultimately predicts that Republicans are “going to probably lose some seats” in the Texas legislature.
当被具体问及梅耶斯·米德尔顿——这位击败了帕克森自己的人选亚伦·赖茨、成为共和党提名的接任总检察长候选人——时，帕克森淡化了他的竞选前景。“他大概正跟着州长到处跑呢。他的名字知名度并不算超高，但他在初选里花了很多——花了很多钱。而且他有钱，能花。所以，他的处境会好一些，因为他能打广告。”
When asked specifically about Mayes Middleton — the Republican nominee to replace him as attorney general, who beat Paxton’s own choice, Aaron Reitz — Paxton downplays his candidacy. “He’s probably riding along with the governor somewhere. It’s not like his name ID is super high, but he had a lot — he spent a lot of money in the primary. And he has money, and he can spend. So, he’s gonna be in better shape because he can advertise.”
帕克森补充说，米德尔顿——他在2023年帕克森弹劾案中投了无罪票——可以凭借个人财富支撑竞选。“他身价8.5亿美元，所以他想打什么广告就打什么广告，想根据民调打什么就打什么。”但这并不意味着帕克森自己不也钱多得花不完。得克萨斯州参议员竞选有望成为有史以来花费最昂贵的一场。截至上周，花费高达4.45亿美元，其中共和党在州和国家两级投入了3.26亿美元，而民主党大约投入了1.75亿美元。
Paxton adds that Middleton — who voted to acquit Paxton during his 2023 impeachment — could buoy himself with his individual wealth. “He’s worth $850 million, so he can advertise whatever he wants to, whatever he feels from polling.”But it’s not as if Paxton isn’t also swimming in funds. The Texas Senate race is on track to be the most expensive on record. A staggering $445 million has been spent as of last week, with Republicans throwing in $326 million between the state and national party, compared to roughly $175 million from Democrats.
如果真有个烧钱的无底洞，那就是共和党想让得克萨斯州保持“红色”的欲望。《纽约时报》本周报道，埃隆·马斯克 allein 就给帕克森的超级政治行动委员会捐了1000万美元。
If there was ever a bottomless pit of burning money, it’s Republicans’ desire to keep Texas red. The New York Times reported this week that Elon Musk alone sent $10 million to Paxton’s super PAC.
帕克森和与会者还讨论了联票投票的便利性，这是一些州允许的一种做法，让选民只需“打一个勾”选择一个政党的框，就能为选票上该党的所有候选人投票，而无需填写整张选票。得克萨斯州2017年通过一项法律禁止了这种做法，该做法通常能提振地方选举中下列候选人的得票，该法律得到了包括副州长丹·帕特里克在内的共和党人支持。
Paxton and the event’s attendees also discuss the convenience of straight-ticket voting, a practice in some states that allows voters to “single punch” a box in order to vote for every candidate of a party on the ballot without filling out the entire form. Texas banned the practice, which often boosted down-ballot candidates in local races, in 2017 via a law supported by Republicans, including Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. (The year before it was passed Ryan Patrick, Patrick’s son, narrowly lost his race for district court judge in Harris County — one of the counties targeted by Republicans through the repeal.)
（该法案通过前一年，帕特里克的儿子瑞安·帕特里克在哈里斯县地方法官竞选中以微弱劣势落败——哈里斯县是共和党通过废除联票投票所针对的县份之一。）大家开玩笑说，在允许联票投票的阿拉巴马州，投“红票”基本上是“唯一的选择”，因为缺乏有竞争力的民主党对手。
The group jokes that in Alabama, where straight-ticket voting is allowed, voting “red” is basically “the only option,” given the lack of salient Democratic opposition.
“其实，我们一直都有这项制度，”帕克斯顿插话道。“只是最近才被改了。副州长确信民主党人比共和党人更多地使用它。这大概率是对的。所以他把它改了。”帕克斯顿指责帕特里克废除了联票投票制，但作为总检察长，帕克斯顿曾支持法院判决，维持该禁令的合法性。当时的民调发现，虽然州共和党人声称该做法偏向民主党，但实际上两党选民使用该做法的比例大致相当。
“Actually, we had it for a long time,” Paxton chimes in. “It just recently got changed. The lieutenant governor was convinced that Democrats used it more than Republicans. Which is probably right. But so he changed it.”Paxton blames Patrick for doing away with straight-ticket voting, but as attorney general Paxton has supported court decisions enforcing the legality of the ban. Contemporary surveys found that while state Republicans claimed the practice skewed Democratic, it was roughly equally common among voters of both parties.
过去公布的9月24日会议音频片段显示了类似的推卸责任模式。CNN上周获得的音频显示，帕克斯顿抱怨他的初选对手——即将离任的参议员约翰·科宁，一位同为共和党的人—— “显然没有提供帮助。” “他想让我输，”帕克斯顿说。当然，参议院共和党人在初选期间曾警告说，帕克斯顿是一个软弱、深陷丑闻的候选人，将耗费该党数千万美元才能勉强拖过终点线。
Past audio excerpts of the Sept. 24 meeting show a similar pattern of blame deflection. Audio obtained last week by CNN reveals Paxton complaining that his primary opponent — outgoing Sen. John Cornyn, a fellow Republican — is “clearly not helping.”“He wants me to lose,” Paxton says. Of course, Senate Republicans warned during the primary that Paxton was a weak, scandal-plagued candidate, who would cost the party tens of millions of dollars to pull over the finish line.
《纽约时报》获得的音频中，帕克斯顿发牢骚说，总统——其背书最终让他获得提名——在9月于达拉斯举办紧急共和党全国代表大会，损害了他的竞选活动。
In audio provided to The New York Times, Paxton gripes that the president — whose endorsement ultimately secured him the nomination — hurt his campaign by hosting an emergency Republican National Convention in Dallas in September.
“当我们举办那次大会后——我们的支持率就下滑了。所有人的支持率都下降了，”帕克斯顿说道。在提供给Axios的另一段录音中，帕克斯顿抱怨称总统的各项政策——尤其是正在进行的伊朗战争——严重拖累了他的竞选活动。“问题不在于关税……而是战争、油价以及柴油价格，”他说，“民众现在都感受到了经济压力。”在提供给Politico的又一段录音里，这位候选人声称自己“从未”遇到过如此难以掌控局势的竞选环境：究竟哪些议题会成为关键，他完全无法预料，因为所有决定似乎都由华盛顿方面拍板。
“When we did that convention — it dropped our numbers. Everybody’s numbers dropped,” Paxton says. In another clip provided to Axios, Paxton grumbles that the president’s policies — particularly the ongoing war in Iran — are a drag on his campaign. “It’s not tariffs. … It’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” he says. “People are feeling the pinch.”In yet another snippet provided to Politico, the candidate claims that he has “never” been in a race where he “felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming — you know — from D.C.”
显然，他这么做是为了说服那些富有的游说团体向他的竞选团队慷慨解囊。在提供给《德克萨斯论坛报》的录音中，帕克斯顿也做出了一些让步，表示共和党人必须“咬牙忍受”，对医疗补助、医疗保险以及社会保障等强制性开支做出“适度削减”。
This is all apparently in service of convincing wealthy lobbyists to fork over cash to his campaign. Paxton did offer some concessions, like stating that Republicans would need to “suck it up” and make “some reasonable cuts to mandatory spending,” like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, in audio provided to The Texas Tribune.
距离选举日仅剩不到一个月，帕克斯顿的表现恰恰印证了那些担心共和党会选择他而非科宁的人士的担忧。诚然，总统引发的经济危机已经导致其在2024年的选民联盟出现分裂；诚然，民众对政府中普遍存在的腐败现象深感失望；诚然，越来越多的美国人认为总统的强硬移民政策已背离了人道底线。但即便抛开这些外部因素不谈，丑闻缠身的帕克斯顿也始终是个糟糕至极的候选人。
With less than a month until Election Day, Paxton is proving the Republicans who were alarmed at the prospect of the party choosing him over Cornyn correct. Yes, the president has created an economic crisis that has fractured his 2024 coalition. Yes, voters are disillusioned with the open corruption throughout the government. Yes, a growing majority of Americans believe the president’s hardline immigration policies have crossed into the inhumane. But the scandal-plagued Paxton has been an abysmal candidate, independent of any external factors.
十多年来，他从未经历过真正激烈的竞选角逐；对于他而言，艰苦卓绝的竞选过程就如同对妻子忠诚这一概念一样陌生且难以理解。就在美国独立250周年纪念日——7月4日这个周末，他却和情妇在伦敦共度良宵。面对媒体及潜在选民提出的哪怕稍具难度的问题，他都选择避而不答；其竞选演讲表现也极其糟糕，以至于特朗普公开调侃道：“他的口才或许算不上出色。”
He has not had to run a genuinely competitive race in over a decade, and the rigors of a hard fought campaign are as alien to him as the notion of fidelity to a wife. He spent July 4th weekend — on the 250th anniversary of American independence, no less — in London with his mistress. He has dodged even mildly difficult questions from the press and his prospective constituents, and has been so ineffective on the stump that Trump has conceded publicly that “he may not talk exactly perfectly,” while making other jokes at Paxton’s expense.
与此同时，全美各地参与激烈竞争的候选人都在辩论台上与对手针锋相对，但帕克斯顿尽管已收到三家电视媒体的辩论邀请，却始终拒绝与塔拉里科进行面对面辩论。他的竞选网站上也并未公布任何近期活动安排或招募志愿者的信息。
As candidates in competitive races across the country tussle with their opponents on the debate stage, Paxton has yet to commit to an in-person debate against Talarico despite three network offers, and his website has no public list of upcoming events or volunteer opportunities for interested parties.
从帕克斯顿的私人日记中可以看出，他对自己参选的处境满腹牢骚。不过，如果他最终输给塔拉里科，导致德克萨斯州的参议院席位在本世纪首次落入民主党手中，那也只能怪他自己。
Paxton’s private musings show him complaining about the circumstances of his candidacy, but if he loses to Talarico to turn a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time this century, he only has himself to blame.