Talarico's Flu Absence Draws Attacks From Trump and Paxton

Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico's 12-day absence from in-person campaigning has intensified the state's closely watched US Senate race, drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Talarico's campaign attributed the interruption to influenza and said he expected to resume public appearances during the weekend before the November midterm election.

According to NBC News, Talarico's last publicly documented in-person campaign event in Texas took place on September 26, when he addressed rising gasoline prices and the war in Iran at a news conference in Carrollton. He subsequently attended a private fundraiser in New York on September 29 and joined a business forum virtually on September 30.

During the virtual appearance, Talarico said he had visited an urgent care facility in Dallas and received a flu diagnosis. His Type 1 diabetes also places him at greater risk of serious flu complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump used a Wednesday rally in San Antonio to question Talarico's absence and challenge his explanation for missing campaign events. He also called on the Democrat to debate Paxton, although Talarico had repeatedly challenged his Republican opponent to participate in a debate.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, "TalaFREAKo has been missing for 12 days! Now, after looking for him throughout all of Texas, and beyond, probably even weirder places than anyone would think possible, he put out a statement that he has the 'flu.' 12 days is a long time to rid yourself of the so-called flu bug. What's going on?" He also praised Paxton's record as Texas attorney general.

Paxton made Talarico's absence a central theme of his remarks at the same rally, asking supporters, "Where is James Talarico?" His campaign also requested evidence that Talarico was recovering, with spokesperson Madison Cercy saying, "We have a simple request: proof of life." Cercy questioned whether the Democrat was prepared to represent Texas if he could not appear publicly during the campaign.

Talarico's campaign rejected the criticism and emphasized his previous campaign activity. Spokesperson JT Ennis said, "After holding more than 100 public events and shaking tens of thousands of hands, James came down with the flu but will be back on the trail this weekend."

Ennis also criticized Paxton's approach to the campaign, saying, "Ken Paxton has been ignoring Texans this entire campaign, and his priorities are clear: he doesn't answer to the people of this state — he answers to his billionaire megadonors and special interests."

Talarico explained his decision to avoid in-person appearances during the illness, saying, "I want to keep everybody safe." He said he did not want to expose vulnerable people to the virus while he was contagious.

The absence has also prompted concern among some Democratic supporters, who fear losing momentum during a critical stage of the race. A volunteer message reported by the New York Post expressed concern that Talarico could lose momentum, while another volunteer dismissed the criticism as coming from people who did not genuinely want him campaigning in person.

Texas Democratic strategist Ed Espinoza argued that allowing the candidate to recover could be preferable to risking a prolonged illness closer to Election Day. He also pointed to the campaign's advertising operation, which NBC News reported was spending about $80 million, as a way to maintain visibility while Talarico remained off the trail.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder described the interruption as unfortunate but said Talarico needed time to recover. The campaign's next major scheduled appearance was a CNN town hall on October 14, and it had not announced a change to that event as of the reports published October 8 and 9.

The race has attracted heightened national attention as Democrats seek to win a Texas Senate seat, where Republicans have maintained a long statewide winning streak. Late-September polling cited by ABC News from The New York Times and Siena University, as well as Fox News, showed a competitive contest between Talarico and Paxton.