Texas Senate candidate James Talarico blames flu for missed events as Paxton and Trump press credibility questions
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Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico says influenza kept him off the campaign trail for several days, but Ken Paxton and President Donald Trump highlighted his absence and raised doubts about his explanations.
Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico said he missed several days of campaigning because he was recovering from the flu. The state representative, who is contesting Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate seat, told MS NOW that he worked from home and held meetings with his team via Zoom while ill. He returned to public events over the weekend, speaking to attendees at the Austin City Limits music festival on Friday and attending a Kacey Musgraves concert in Dallas on Saturday.
Paxton and his campaign highlighted Talarico’s absence, with the GOP Senate nominee leading a chant of “Where is James Talarico?” at a rally in San Antonio and posting on social media that the Democrat was “nowhere to be seen.” President Donald Trump also referenced the situation on Truth Social, describing Talarico as “MISSING IN ACTION.”
Talarico told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth that he was diagnosed with the flu on September 30 after feeling unwell during a virtual appearance at the United States Hispanic Business Council. He visited urgent care in Dallas and stayed home to recover. His last in-person campaign appearances before the illness were a press conference on September 26 and a private fundraiser in New York City on September 28.
In an interview with MS NOW, Talarico called the speculation “silly season in our politics” and shifted criticism toward Paxton, who has not agreed to a debate. Paxton responded on Fox News, saying he was uncertain about Talarico’s flu claim and asserting that the candidate has been “false” throughout the campaign.
Talarico’s return to the trail precedes a town hall scheduled for Wednesday evening in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted by CNN and Jubilee Media and moderated by Erin Burnett. The event has also invited Paxton to participate.