Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is off the campaign trail with the flu, canceling at least two events this week after he said a Dallas urgent-care visit confirmed the diagnosis.
Talarico, an Austin state representative, disclosed the illness Sept. 30 during a virtual forum hosted by the United States Hispanic Business Council. He had been scheduled to attend the Rio Grande Valley event in person. He told the audience he started feeling sick a few days earlier, then went to urgent care in Dallas the night before after it got worse. He said he had a fever and was in the most contagious stage of the illness.
“I guess I’ve been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail, and so I want to keep everybody safe,” Talarico said. He added that he could not live with himself if he passed the flu to someone’s grandmother or baby, and that the best choice was to put safety and health first.
The Dallas Morning News reported that his campaign acknowledged the break Tuesday. Spokesperson JT Ennis said Talarico had held more than 100 public events and met tens of thousands of supporters before coming down with the flu, and that he will be back on the trail soon. Ennis did not give a return date. At least two events were scrapped: a Monday gathering aimed at turning out Black voters in Central Texas, and an Austin fundraiser Tuesday.
The pause comes less than two weeks before early voting starts Oct. 19, ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Talarico is scheduled to headline a CNN town hall Oct. 14. His last public appearance before the diagnosis was a Sept. 28 fundraiser in New York hosted by actor Robert De Niro. He faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The illness has landed in an already sharp argument over who is campaigning harder. Ennis said Paxton has spent the race hiding from reporters and ducking debate offers, including on Fox News. Paxton campaign spokeswoman Madison Cercy said Talarico had time for a New York fundraiser but not for Texans, and accused him of hiding behind recycled rally footage and canceled events. Some Republicans have also pressed Paxton to campaign more. Former primary rival Sen. John Cornyn called him a poor campaigner in August. Paxton rejected that, saying he was averaging about 18 hours a day on the trail.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
