Report: Team Talarico Panics as Candidate Ducks Off Campaign Trail, Private Messages from Campaign Show
James Talarico, a Texas Democrat, has been absent from his campaign trail for nearly two weeks due to illness, specifically the flu, which he announced on September 30. Despite leading in polls against his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, concerns about his health adn campaign momentum have grown. While some volunteers and supporters defend his health,pointing out his type 1 diabetes,others,including political opponents and even former President Trump,have speculated or mocked his absence,suggesting possible health issues or political motives. Talarico is expected to return to public campaigning soon, wiht plans to participate in a CNN town hall.The extended absence has drawn attention and criticism as it is indeed considered unusual for a candidate in such a critical campaign period.
Even James Talarico’s volunteer team seems to be panicking about the Texas Democrat’s nearly two-week absence from the campaign trail, messages obtained from internal volunteer communications show.
Talarico — who’s locked in a battle with Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton for a seat that could decide who controls the next Senate — had his last in-person campaign appearance on Sept. 26 — 13 days ago, as of Friday.
In a video appearance on Sept. 30, Talarico said that he had contracted a flu and needed to stay away from the physical trail.
“I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago, and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas, and I was diagnosed with the flu,” Talarico said, according to CNN.
“I’m running a fever, and I’m at my most contagious right now, and I guess I’ve been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail and so I want to keep everybody safe.”
That isn’t necessarily mollifying people on his volunteer team, according to the New York Post. They obtained messages from the campaign’s Slack group showing some concern over the candidate’s health.
Others pointed out that he has type 1 diabetes and that concerns were overblown.
“I suppose spokesman JT Ennis should come out and update on James health,” said volunteer Alex Balderas. “Conservatives doubting he’s sick but conservatives leaving out the important part.”
“James is diabetic that’s why it’s taking awhile for recovery so basically conservatives and Paxton are being. very immoral [sic].”
“I think it’ll be fine. It’s [j]ust conservatives blasting him. I’m just worried about him losing momentum,” Balderas added.
“But I 100% expect him to make a comeback at the CNN [t]own hall that’s a given.”
“Yeah he’s taking some heat for being MIA,” another volunteer named Sandy from Waco said.
Still, the faithful continued being, well, faithful.
“It’s a buncha people that don’t actually want him to be out touring that are causing a stink. Noone’s genuinely upset,” said a volunteer named Jacob Weber.
While no one may be “genuinely upset,” the absence is the latest red flag. Talarico has consistently led in the polls over Paxton, but a nearly two-week absence from the campaign trail in the final month of action is practically unprecedented.
While Talarico is due to appear at a CNN town hall event next Wednesday, that’s practically an eon in campaign time, and apparently we won’t see him in person until this weekend.
“James looks forward to being back out this weekend after recovering from the flu,” said Ennis in a statement.
Meanwhile, Paxton’s been leading crowds in chants of “Where is James Talarico?” and President Donald Trump has been having a field day, as well.
“I hear the guy’s disappeared. Nobody knows,” Trump said during a Wednesday rally. “You know where he is? He’s sick, because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons, and he’s throwing up all over the place. He’s sick.”
“No, we’re all looking. Nobody can find the guy. He’s gone for two weeks, you know.”
Trump on the mysterious disappearance of James Talarico: “You haven’t seen him in a couple weeks. I hear the guy has disappeared. You know where he is? He’s SICK, because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.” https://t.co/iPhZ9vxdQz
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 7, 2026
And even the Talarico volunteers, from the sound of it, are beginning to doubt their own rationalization on the matter.
“Yeah it’s the conservatives they’re making it a big deal over two canceled events because he’s sick. But he’ll be back,” Balderas said on the Slack server.
“Hope James blast[s] Paxton for being absent the whole time after he won his runoff.”
Paxton has an actual job as the state’s attorney general, it’s worth noting. Talarico has basically practiced for this for over a year now — and in the homestretch, he’s too incapacitated by the flu to even campaign for the job he wants Texans to trust him to perform.
If this is what a virus does on the campaign trail, what the heck are voters supposed to expect if he actually goes to Washington, D.C., and takes on one of the more exigent elected jobs in America?
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