Talarico Misses 10 Days of Texas Campaigning With Flu as Paxton Presses Attack
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 9
Talarico Misses 10 Days of Texas Campaigning With Flu as Paxton Presses Attack
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 9
Summary
Sept. 29 was James Talarico’s last in-person campaign event, and his campaign now says the Texas Senate candidate has been sidelined by the flu and plans to return this weekend.
A virtual appearance the next day from a hotel room in Dallas was his last public outing; Talarico said urgent care diagnosed him with the flu and that he stayed away to avoid infecting supporters.
Ken Paxton has turned the absence into a campaign line of attack, leading “Where is James Talarico?” chants at a rally with Donald Trump and circulating “missing posters” and “proof of life” taunts.
Talarico’s team says he had already held more than 100 public events and kept up social media and email outreach, but his lack of any public or private video appearances still unsettled some supporters.
The gap comes at a sensitive moment in a race where polls show Talarico with a rare Democratic statewide opening in Texas, with early voting set to begin Oct. 19.
How will soaring diesel prices and inflation reshape the economic priorities of working-class voters in historically affordable regions like South Texas?
Can targeted relief for transportation and agriculture stabilize grocery prices before the cost-of-living crisis deepens for everyday consumers?
What immediate economic solutions can effectively address the affordability crisis for families feeling left behind by rising living costs?