Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has temporarily halted campaign events after contracting the flu, a development his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, is seizing on with a new round of attack ads.
Talarico revealed his illness during a virtual appearance at a U.S. Hispanic Business Council forum on September 30, explaining that he had been feeling unwell for days and had visited urgent care in Dallas the previous night. “I was ready to eat my favorite quesadilla tacos, but I was starting to feel kind of under the weather,” he said, adding that he was diagnosed with the flu and was at his “most contagious” during the event.
The candidate said he made the decision to step back to avoid spreading the illness, particularly to vulnerable individuals. “If I was passing on this illness to somebody and got someone’s grandmother or someone’s baby sick, I couldn’t live with myself, so I thought the best thing to do was to put safety first,” Talarico said.
Paxton’s campaign quickly turned the absence into a liability, releasing ads that highlight Talarico’s last in-person appearance—a fundraising event with actor Robert De Niro in New York on September 28. One ad features a narrator asking, “Have you seen this man?” and claiming Talarico has been “missing for 11 days.”
Talarico’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ads. He is scheduled to appear at a CNN and Jubilee Media town hall in Texas on October 14, which may serve as a platform to counter the narrative.
The race has tightened, with Decision Desk HQ’s polling averages on Wednesday showing Paxton trailing Talarico by 3 percentage points. Texas remains a reliably Republican state, but a challenging midterm environment and Paxton’s history of controversies—including his 2023 impeachment on corruption charges, which ended in acquittal—have given Democrats an opening.
Paxton has also faced scrutiny over leaked audio from a closed-door fundraiser, obtained by Axios, in which he blamed the war in Iran and rising gas and diesel prices for dragging on his campaign. “It’s not tariffs. … It’s the war, it’s gas prices, it’s diesel,” he told donors, a remark that could alienate voters already concerned about economic issues.
As the campaign enters its final stretch, the flu-induced pause has become a flashpoint, with Paxton’s ads seeking to paint Talarico as absent while Talarico’s team emphasizes health and safety. The GOP's anxiety in the race is palpable, as national Republicans pour resources into Texas to defend a seat that was once considered safe. Meanwhile, deportation policies weigh on GOP candidates in Texas and Florida, adding another layer of complexity to the midterm landscape.
Political observers note that Talarico’s decision to prioritize public health could resonate with voters, but the attack ads may still chip away at his momentum. The midterm debate marathon continues, with high-stakes exchanges expected in the coming weeks.
