James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Texas, made his return to the campaign trail on Friday after being noticeably absent for nearly two weeks. This absence sparked a flurry of speculation and criticism from his political rivals about where he had been.
His chief spokesperson, JT Ennis, addressed the situation with a light-hearted post on X, stating, “Hate to disappoint the conspiracy theorists, but James is still alive and meeting with voters at ACL today.” The post even included a video of Talarico interacting with supporters at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
As he competes against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in this closely followed Senate race, Talarico had not made a public appearance since a news conference on September 26, where he discussed the rising gas prices.
According to his campaign, Talarico’s absence was due to a serious bout of the flu. However, this extended hiatus led to significant criticism from many Republicans, including former President Trump.
On Truth Social, Trump remarked that Talarico was “MISSING IN ACTION” and expressed skepticism about the length of time he had been away, noting, “12 days is a long time to rid yourself of the so-called flu bug. What’s going on?”
In response to the negative portrayal, Talarico’s campaign clarified that he had participated in a Zoom meeting on September 30 with the US Hispanic Business Council, which they argued meant he’d only been missing for about nine days rather than the nearly two weeks suggested by his opponents.
During a rally in San Antonio, Paxton also questioned Talarico’s absence, asking, “Where is James Talarico?” Meanwhile, Talarico’s campaign indicated he plans to ramp up his in-person schedule throughout the weekend in preparation for an upcoming CNN town hall on October 14.
Prior to falling ill, Talarico had completed over 100 public events across the state, showing a strong commitment to his campaign.
