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It's now been two weeks since Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate James Talarico last appeared at an in-person campaign event in Texas, and that was at a football game on September 26. Since then, the only event he has appeared at was a virtual address to the Hispanic Business Council on September 30, at which he apologized for missing an in-person forum planned for that day, and explained that the day before he had been so sick that he checked himself into an urgent care clinic in Dallas. His campaign says he has the flu and expects him back on the trail this weekend.
Here is the problem. Fundraising invitations reportedly listed events for Talarico in New York City on September 28th and 29th, including a private fundraiser featuring Robert De Niro at 5:30 p.m. on the 29th. Republican strategist Caroline Wren raised the point on Real America's Voice: "I don't understand how you could be at a fundraising event in New York City and in a Dallas urgent care." So, Talarico was supposed to be at a fundraiser in New York City on the 29th and in an urgent care clinic in Dallas that same day. Or, he could have flown back to Dallas and been too sick to leave his home. Or, maybe the fundraiser was moved to a different date, and he never ended up attending it in the first place. But, the campaign has not provided any explanation for the reported fundraiser schedule, reported Zero Hedge.
But let's be real here. The flu typically brings on a few days of serious discomfort, followed by several days of slow recovery from said illness, and Wren, a partisan whom I am treating as one, called a week the most it should take. Yet, in the midst of such an affliction in the home stretch of a $400 million Senate race, one would presumably continue to shoot videos and take phone calls. And yes, campaigns can post pictures of said candidate lying on his couch, surrounded by boxes of tissues and cups of hot tea, and say that he's getting better. But he'd have to post that or his team would post it for him.
Ken Paxton's campaign has already made this its closing argument to voters: he's not been seen in Texas for two weeks because Talarico is nowhere to be found. That is politics, and it is fair game. And with a Senate race that Wren expects to top $400 million, two weeks of complete silence will naturally receive significant media attention.
Unverified claims have been made online regarding James Talarico's whereabouts. Spencer Pratt claimed in an X post that his sources say Talarico is in a mental health facility, offering no documentation. Sara Gonzales of Blaze Media and the Texas Scorecard said she has received unverified information regarding Talarico's whereabouts, without saying what it is, and asked anyone with confirmation to contact her. Nobody has confirmed either claim, and the Talarico campaign has not responded to them. I will not repeat them as fact because a man's health is not something to speculate about online. Pratt said that if it is true it would be time to pray for Talarico. I agree with Pratt on this.
The void created by the campaign is going to get filled by some pretty bad ideas of the voters. Some of them are going to be mean and some wrong. All the candidate has to do is to tell the voters where he has been and show himself to them.
This weekend will be the test to see if Talarico can re-gain the respect of the voting public. If he appears at a Texas event, looks well, and answers the press's queries regarding his absence as well as the New York fundraiser, then most of this will fade away. He will, however, still be expected to explain in greater detail the overlap between that fundraiser and his own words about the urgent care clinic visit. If he fails to appear, or appears but refuses to answer their questions then the probing of Talarico's absence will only continue to intensify. The public has a right to know that the man who is asking for the job of U.S. Senator is capable of doing the job, and is telling the truth as to where he has been.
