Democratic state Representative James Talarico re-emerged on Friday, walking the grounds of the Austin City Limits festival, according to Ainvest, after an absence from the in-person campaign trail that lasted approximately ten days.
Talarico Surfaces in Austin After Ten Days Off Trail
Talarico is running in a Texas U.S. Senate race against Republican nominee and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The seat is currently held by GOP Senator John Cornyn, whom Paxton defeated in a Republican primary in May, according to Yahoo News. Talarico’s last in-person public appearance in Texas prior to his return took place on September 26, when he held a press conference at a gas station in Carrollton, Texas, to discuss suspending the federal gas and diesel tax and ending the war with Iran, as reported by Yahoo News.
Talarico Visits New York While Recovering from Flu
During his time away from in-person events, Talarico’s campaign stated that he was recovering from the flu, while Ainvest noted that he also lives with type 1 diabetes. On September 29, Talarico visited New York for a private fundraiser, according to NBC News. The following day, September 30, he gave virtual remarks to the Hispanic Business Council via Zoom, during which he was coughing and blowing his nose, as documented by NBC News and the Daily Mail.
While off the trail, Talarico canceled a scheduled October 5 event with Black voters in Austin, an occurrence that cost the African American group $25,000 because they were unable to secure a refund for the booked event space, according to the Daily Mail.
Paxton and Trump Mock Missing Democrat at Rally
During a campaign rally in San Antonio on Wednesday, Paxton led the crowd in chanting, Where is James Talarico?
, as reported by Yahoo News. President Donald Trump also addressed the situation during the San Antonio rally, stating, according to NBC News: You haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks. I hear the guy has disappeared. Nobody knows. You know where he is? He’s sick, because he’s forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.
