Missing posters for James Talarico are appearing across Texas as his campaign vanishes from the trail. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been mocking his Democratic opponent, who recently stopped attending events and claimed he contracted a flu-like illness after shaking hands at over 100 events.
Talarico’s last public appearance was a press conference on September 26. His campaign stated that he will return to the trail this weekend: “After holding more than 100 public events and shaking tens of thousands of hands, James came down with the flu.” Campaign spokesperson J.T. Ennis also added: “Ken Paxton has been ignoring Texans this entire campaign, and his priorities are clear: He doesn’t answer to the people of this state — he answers to his billionaire megadonors and special interests.”
Paxton has chanted “Where is Talarico?” at recent rallies, including a Trump rally in San Antonio. The Texas Attorney General posted social media images showing missing person posters with the caption: “LAST SEEN: 12 days ago. Texans everywhere are asking: where is James Talarico?”
President Donald Trump also ridiculed Talarico on social media, writing: “Ladies and Gentlemen, upon information and belief, James TalaFREAKo, who is running for the United States Senate in Texas, is MISSING IN ACTION!”
Democrats hope to flip the Texas Senate seat to gain control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans, but concerns are growing among Black and Hispanic voters that Talarico’s campaign has not done enough to reach out to these communities.
