James Talarico has been off the campaign trail for 12 straight days. This Democratic Senate candidate claims the flu kept him home. He has not appeared in person since September 26. The silence is unusual for a high-stakes race. His opponent Ken Paxton and President Trump are asking hard questions.
Talarico last held an in-person event about gas prices on that date. He later traveled to New York for a private fundraiser. Then he returned to Dallas to visit an urgent care clinic. Despite this, he has not met voters face-to-face. The campaign says he will return to the trail this weekend.
Ken Paxton’s team is not buying the flu story. They want a photo of Talarico holding today’s newspaper. Paxton campaign spokeswoman Madison Cercy made a simple request. She said, “We have a simple request: proof of life.” She added that hiding from trouble is not “Texas Tough.”
President Trump joined the criticism on Truth Social. He wrote, “TalaFREAKo has been missing for 12 days!” Trump noted that 12 days is a long time for a flu bug. He asked, “What’s going on?” The Republican Attorney General’s camp says Talarico is too fragile to face Texans. They contend that his inability to appear disqualifies him from seeking their vote.
The worry is not just coming from Republicans. Leaked messages from Talarico’s own group show deep concern. A volunteer named Alex Balderas wrote in a group chat. He said, “I think it’ll be fine. It’s [j]ust conservatives blasting him. I’m just worried about him losing momentum.” Another insider told NBC News, “He’s like, really sick. Believe me, we don’t want this right now.”
These volunteers said, “We’d rather have him on the trail.” The group chat features nearly 4,000 people. They are waiting for a comeback at a CNN town hall on October 14. But the gap in public appearances is hurting their confidence. The campaign claims he appeared virtually at a forum recently. Yet the lack of physical presence is the main issue.
Every voter deserves to see their candidate in the flesh. Hiding for nearly two weeks raises red flags. A Texas Democrat involved in the race admitted the illness is real. But the timing and duration look strange to many. The campaign insists he will reemerge this weekend.
Until he steps back on stage, the questions will remain. The next few days will decide if he can recover his standing. Voters need to know if he can handle the pressure. The burden of proof is now on Talarico to show he is well.
