Talarico's Campaign Absence Fuels GOP Attacks in Texas Senate Race

With the Texas U.S. Senate race entering its final weeks, Democratic nominee James Talarico has faced growing Republican criticism over a 12-day absence from public campaign events. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee, has questioned his opponent's whereabouts as President Donald Trump joins calls for the candidates to debate.

Talarico's campaign attributed the absence to recovery from the flu. A campaign spokesperson said Thursday that the Democrat planned to resume public appearances over the weekend, while the contest for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn remains closely contested.

Paxton highlighted the issue during a campaign rally in San Antonio on Wednesday, prompting attendees to ask about his opponent's whereabouts.

"Where is James Talarico?" Paxton asked the crowd.

Paxton's campaign has also focused on Talarico's absence in recent social media posts. Trump joined the criticism in a Truth Social post, describing the Democratic candidate as "MISSING IN ACTION."

JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico's campaign, said the candidate expected to return to public campaigning after recovering from influenza.

"James looks forward to being back out this weekend after recovering from the flu," Ennis said.

The spokesperson also pointed to Paxton's failure to accept Talarico's debate challenge, saying the Republican had been avoiding the issue for weeks.

"It's been 83 days since James challenged Ken Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans' question in a debate, which even President Trump called on him to do last night. Ball is in Paxton's court," Ennis said.

Talarico disclosed his diagnosis on September 30 during a virtual appearance before the United States Hispanic Business Council. He had originally planned to attend the event in person but instead addressed participants from Texas.

"I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas, and I was diagnosed with the flu," Talarico told the audience in Edinburg by video conference. "I'm running a fever, and I'm at my most contagious right now, and I guess I've been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail and so I want to keep everybody safe."

Talarico's last public appearance in Texas before his virtual address was a September 26 news conference in Carrollton, where he advocated suspending federal gasoline and diesel taxes and ending the war with Iran.

"This is the kind of immediate action we need to provide Texans some relief at the pump in the middle of this affordability crisis," Talarico said at a gas station in Carrollton.

A campaign source subsequently disclosed that Talarico attended a private fundraiser in New York City on September 28 featuring actor Robert De Niro.

Trump also called for a debate between the two Senate candidates in a Truth Social post on Wednesday night, urging Talarico to appear publicly with Paxton.

"He should immediately report to a Debate Stage against Ken Paxton, who is ready, willing, and able," Trump wrote.

At a campaign event in Denton, Trump had also joked about Paxton's presence, saying he did not know the attorney general was there and calling him a "pain in the ass." The Paxton campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Trump's proposed debate.

Talarico has challenged Paxton to multiple debates, including one on Fox News. CNN and Jubilee Media have scheduled a town hall with Talarico for October 14 in Fort Worth and have also invited Paxton to participate.

A New York Times and Siena University poll recently showed Talarico leading Paxton by six percentage points. The candidates are competing for the seat held by Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in a contentious Republican primary in May.

Republicans have increased their advertising investment as the election approaches. According to campaign spending figures cited in the report, GOP advertising reservations in Texas from September through November exceeded $190 million, compared with $52 million reserved by Democrats.