Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico turned a recent attack line from Republican Ken Paxton back on him over the weekend. In a new post, Talarico mocked Paxton for refusing to debate him.
“I challenged Ken Paxton to a debate 85 days ago, but no one has heard from him,” Talarico wrote on X. “People are getting worried.”
“I’ve received credible reports he’s suffering from a rare condition that causes clinical levels of cowardice,” he added. “@KenPaxtonTX: I am asking for proof of ability to debate.”
The post had about 2.6 million views by Saturday night.
The jab flips the script on Paxton. His campaign spent the past week questioning where Talarico was after he spent nearly two weeks off the campaign trail. At a San Antonio rally Wednesday, Paxton led the crowd in a chant of “Where is James Talarico?” President Donald Trump joined in on Truth Social, calling Talarico “MISSING IN ACTION” and saying he “should immediately report to a Debate Stage” against Paxton.
Talarico’s campaign said he had been recovering from the flu. He disclosed the diagnosis Sept. 30 while speaking virtually at an event he had been scheduled to attend in person, saying he didn’t want to get others sick. His campaign said Thursday he planned to return to the trail this weekend.
Talarico has repeatedly challenged Paxton to debate, including on Fox News. According to his campaign, Paxton has not accepted any of the invitations. Paxton’s campaign did not respond to Scripps News’ request for comment on Trump’s call for a debate.
Talarico is scheduled to appear at a CNN and Jubilee Media town hall in Fort Worth on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Paxton was also invited.
With Election Day less than four weeks away, there’s little time left for the two to meet on a debate stage.