<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/texas/?srsltid=AU7gw4V8jgb_jdCfBSBfor7_vKESAbL6riAD5u-QUuu_s-jA3an1UhQF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Texas</a> Democratic <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/section/senate/?srsltid=AU7gw4VHz34zAMaUd-ptClwlVDfoCmm_AUxJun-p7wRpND-81Cz_8whT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senate</a> candidate <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/james-talarico/?srsltid=AU7gw4UUnapx-mWkkaKhnYCmNmuvNfwnO1La3DxkO0fSsrE-2QXyx6iJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James Talarico</a> discussed his recent absence from the campaign trail for the first time in interviews on Sunday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Texas state representative was <a href="http://google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4761918/talarico-spotted-public-absence-campaign/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1791770243178546&usg=AOvVaw1655RUyTm1ljqBmusSQ4hU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spotted in public</a> on Friday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival after not campaigning for almost two weeks. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/article/james-talarico-kacey-musgraves-concert-dallas-22472203.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">He attended</a> the Kacey Musgraves concert in Dallas on Saturday night before addressing speculation about his lengthy disappearance in interviews released on Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I was at home sick in bed with the flu,” he told the <em>Dallas Morning News</em> in an <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/article/talarico-says-hasn-t-changed-views-win-texas-22472457.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exclusive interview</a> with its editorial board, in which he says he’s “running as a moderate” and discusses his views on religion, healthcare, and education. Talarico, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, added that he took a break from campaigning to ensure the sickness wasn’t prolonged.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I had the flu. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/james-talarico-flu-return-campaign-trail-texas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said separately</a> in an interview with <em>MS Now</em>, referencing widespread speculation that this explanation for his absence wasn’t sound. “It’s wild that someone can just post something on the internet and people just run with it.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas State Attorney General <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/ken-paxton/?srsltid=AU7gw4URukmvj3zTDw2DBBhQUmWqI-iJTVGXbeUIUGJwgY57TUdjryF2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ken Paxton</a>, spent much of the latter half of last week arguing that Talarico’s disappearance renders him unfit for office. He started a “Where is James Talarico?” chant at a campaign rally on Wednesday and said on Saturday, “He owes Texans answers.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“James Talarico will not face up to his actual record and tell the people the truth, so I don’t know whether to believe him about the flu or not,” he said on Sunday night <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6406661388112" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in an interview</a> with <em>Fox News</em>. “I just know that everything that he says, almost everything that he says, has been false since the beginning of this campaign.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/james-talarico-flu-return-campaign-trail-texas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">also criticized</a> Talarico last week for not interacting with voters this close to the midterm elections. He referenced the controversy at a rally in Tennessee on Saturday night, saying “he has the longest flu ever recorded.” Talarico holds a slight lead over Paxton, according to public polling, despite Texas’s history as a Republican stronghold.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paxton also said his campaign has been “working with him on that for months” when asked about the possibility of debating Talarico. The Democratic candidate referenced the pair’s inability to find a time to debate in a Saturday night social media post.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I challenged Ken Paxton to a debate 85 days ago, but no one has heard from him.<br /><br />People are getting worried.<br /><br />I’ve received credible reports he's suffering from a rare condition that causes clinical levels of cowardice.<a href="https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@KenPaxtonTX</a>: I am asking for proof of ability to debate.</p>— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) <a href="https://x.com/jamestalarico/status/2109044856022524387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">October 10, 2026</a></blockquote> </div></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4761918/talarico-spotted-public-absence-campaign/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TALARICO SPOTTED IN PUBLIC AFTER 13-DAY ABSENCE FROM CAMPAIGN TRAIL</strong></a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“And of course we can never quite work out the details because he always wants something we can’t do,” Paxton continued. “So the reality is the big story is the fact that he was missing from the campaign trail, and I know he’d love to change the topic to debates, but the big story is two weeks is a very long time to be away with the flu, and it’s just a very strange time to disappear.” Early voting in Texas begins next Monday, while the midterm elections will be held on Nov. 3.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Talarico <a href="https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/texas-politics/talarico-returns-to-campaign-trail-after-flu-challenges-paxton-to-debate/4089723/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">also stated</a> <em>NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth</em> on Sunday his symptoms were “nothing worse than a nasty case of the flu.”</p>