James Talarico's Absence from Campaign Trail Draws GOP Attention in Texas Senate Race

Texas state Representative James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas, has been absent from the campaign trail for the past 12 days, which has led to Republicans targeting him in their campaign efforts. At a rally in San Antonio, Texas Attorney General and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton led the crowd in chants questioning Talarico's whereabouts. Paxton's campaign has highlighted this issue in social media posts, and former President Donald Trump also commented on Talarico's absence on Truth Social, referring to him as 'MISSING IN ACTION.' Talarico's campaign stated that he is recovering from the flu. JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico, mentioned that after participating in over 100 public events, Talarico contracted the flu but is expected to return to campaigning this weekend. Talarico disclosed his flu diagnosis on September 30 during a virtual event with the United States Hispanic Business Council. He explained that he had been feeling unwell and was diagnosed with the flu after visiting urgent care in Dallas. His last public appearance was on September 26, where he discussed suspending the federal gas and diesel tax and addressing the war with Iran. Talarico was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in New York City featuring actor Robert De Niro shortly after his last appearance. During Talarico's absence, Paxton has continued to campaign actively, including participating in Trump's rally in San Antonio. Trump, during the rally, jokingly referred to Paxton as a 'pain in the ass' and called for a debate between Talarico and Paxton. The Paxton campaign did not respond to inquiries about the proposed debate. Talarico has previously challenged Paxton to multiple debates, including one on Fox News, but the opportunity for debates is diminishing as Election Day approaches. Talarico is set to appear at a town hall hosted by CNN and Jubilee Media on October 14 in Fort Worth, Texas, which Paxton has also been invited to attend. The two candidates are in a competitive race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by GOP Senator John Cornyn, who Paxton defeated in the Republican primary in May. A recent poll by the New York Times/Siena University indicated that Talarico holds a six-point lead over Paxton. The close nature of the race in a state that Trump won by a significant margin in 2024 has raised concerns among Republicans, leading to substantial ad spending in Texas, with GOP expenditures from September to November exceeding $190 million compared to $52 million from Democrats.