James Talarico campaign absence Texas Senate entered its 12th day as the candidate stayed off in-person events in Texas because of the flu. His campaign said he is expected back in action this weekend, after a stretch that has become part of the closing phase of the Texas Senate race.
Talarico last appeared in person in Texas on Sept. 26. On Sept. 29, he was in New York for a private fundraiser, and the following day he said in virtual remarks to the Hispanic Business Council that he had returned to Dallas and visited urgent care.
JT Ennis on the flu
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.” That account places the pause after an unusually heavy stretch of retail campaigning and ties his absence to illness rather than a change in schedule.
The campaign also moved to keep Talarico visible while he was away. Ed Espinoza said some supporters had noticed the break from in-person campaigning, but added, “Look, he’s got like $80 million of ads going right now. So I think that’s pretty good scale for him at the moment.”
Paxton campaign pressure
Ken Paxton’s campaign used the absence to press its opponent. Madison Cercy asked for “proof of life” and called on Talarico to produce a photo of himself with a newspaper showing today’s date. She also said, “James Talarico wants to represent 31 million Texans in the U.S. Senate, but for 12 days, he’s hidden from every one of them.”
A Texas Democrat involved in the race said, “He’s like, really sick. Believe me, we don’t want this right now.” The same person added, “We’d rather have him on the trail.”
Texas Senate race stretch
Kendall Scudder said Paxton “caught a little bit of a break” with Talarico’s absence, while also saying, “It’s certainly not ideal, but we want to make sure he does everything he needs to to make sure that he’s healthy and ready to go.” Scudder added, “We’re in the homestretch, and it sounds like he’s on the mend, and that’s great news.”
The weekend return matters because the race is in its final stretch, when campaigns expect the most attention to in-person contact. If Talarico is back on the trail as planned, the immediate test will be whether he can resume the same pace after the flu or needs a slower schedule first.
