Texas, a historically Red state, is seeing an unusual Blue surge amid the upcoming midterm elections in November. Leading the blue charge is Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico, who is challenging incumbent Trump-endorsed Ken Paxton.
With only weeks left before the election, Talarico is down with an unexpected influenza, which has kept the 37-year-old Democrat from his campaign even as he enjoys record popularity ratings. And Ken Paxton, the Republican and President Donald Trump are doing their best to make it an issue, hoping it gives a boost to their flailing campaign despite record spending.
To push the agenda further, Trump appeared with Ken Paxton at a rally in San Antonio, Texas. On the same day, Trump wrote a Truth Social post where he accused Talarico of being "MISSING IN ACTION." He suggested that "bad rumors" are coming out about the 37-year-old Democrat. "Where is he? What is wrong with him? Bad rumors are coming out," the POTUS wrote.
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{{/usCountry}}His comments came as the New York Times and Siena Research Institute Polls showed that Talarico is currently leading Ken Paxton by six points - 51 to 45. A YouGov poll on October 6 showed that Paxton is leading 50% to 44% in the race.
Is James Talarico 'Missing'?
Trump's comments activated the far-right rumor mill on social media, with rumors about James Talarico going viral on social media. For instance, Sara Gonzales, a host with Blaze TV, suggested that she received unverified information about James Talarico that "can end his campaign."
With all the talk, let's take a look at when James Talarico was last seen in public and why he has not been seen lately.
When Was James Talarico Last Seen In Public?
James Talarico's last documented public appearance was at a fundraiser on Monday, September 28, when he appeared for a fundraiser hosted by actor Robert DeNiro in New York City. He appeared virtually for a forum by the Hispanic Business Council a couple of days later, on September 30. It was at this forum that he announced that he has influenza.
“I guess I’ve been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail and so I want to keep everybody safe,” he said. “If I was passing on this illness to somebody and got someone’s grandmother or someone’s baby sick."
He has not been seen in public for the last one week. However, he has been active on social media and responded to the comments made by Trump and Paxton about him being missing. He referred to Paxton not agreeing to a televised debate, saying he is still ready to do it.
"President Trump just said Ken Paxton should debate. I agree," Talarico wrote in an X post. "Ball's in your court."