Democrats hoping to flip a Texas Senate seat are facing an unexpected campaign hurdle as their nominee recovers from the flu less than a month before Election Day.
State Rep. James Talarico has been absent from in-person campaigning in Texas for 12 days, NBC News reported Thursday. His campaign says he expects to return this weekend.
“He’s like, really sick. Believe me, we don’t want this right now,” a Texas Democrat involved in the race told NBC News. “We’d rather have him on the trail.”
Talarico’s sudden time off the campaign trail “is undoubtedly a curveball for Democrats,” the outlet reported Thursday. “It also presents a turnaround for Talarico, who had been visible in the early days of the campaign as Paxton was off the trail.”
His Republican opponent, MAGA favorite Ken Paxton’s campaign, seized on the absence, demanding a “proof of life” photograph of the Texas Democrat, whose last in-person event in the Lone Star State was on Sept. 26, according to the report.
“It’s certainly not ideal,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder acknowledged. “But we want to make sure he does everything he needs to to make sure that he’s healthy and ready to go.”
Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said he fell sick after holding more than 100 public events. But despite Talarico's physical absence, Democratic strategist Ed Espinoza pointed to the Texas Democrat's extensive advertising campaign.
“He may be recovering at home, but he is still everywhere,” Espinoza told NBC News.