Lead report from NBC News
What happened
Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico returned to the campaign trail after being absent for nearly two weeks. His campaign stated that he was recovering from the flu, while his return included an appearance at the Austin City Limits music festival. The absence drew heavy scrutiny and speculation from political opponents during his race against Republican Ken Paxton.
Outlets across the political spectrum agree that James Talarico was absent from the campaign trail for roughly two weeks and that he resurfaced in public following a period of intense speculation.
Left-leaning outlets like NBC News and The Washington Post focused on Talarico's return to the stump and noted that Republicans tried to make his absence seem suspicious. Center outlets like The Hill and Bloomberg reported on his appearance at the Austin City Limits music festival while noting the timeline of his absence. Right-leaning outlets such as PJ Media, Fox News, and The Daily Wire emphasized the duration of his absence, highlighted criticism and mockery from Republicans including Donald Trump and Ken Paxton, and questioned the validity of the flu excuse.
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Center · The Hill
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Talarico makes first appearance in 13-days at music festival after flu absence
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D) made his first appearance in nearly two weeks on Friday after his campaign said he was recovering from a bout of the flu. The Democratic nominee was seen strolling around Austin City Limits (ACL) — the annual music festival in Texas’s capital city. Videos shared on social media show…
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left: 2 · center: 2 · right: 10. Counts describe displayed outlets, not independent investigations or the accuracy of their reporting.
Source context: After drawing scrutiny for his absence from the campaign trail, Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, who had been sick with the flu, returned to the stump.
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Center Right · freebeacon.com
2 publishers
After drawing scrutiny for his absence from the campaign trail, Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, who had been sick with the flu, returned to the stump.
The Democrat’s campaign said he was recovering from the flu, while Republicans tried to make his absence seem suspicious.
2 publishers
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D) made his first appearance in nearly two weeks on Friday after his campaign said he was recovering from a bout of the flu. The Democratic nominee was seen strolling around Austin City Limits (ACL) — the annual music festival in Texas’s capital city. Videos shared on social media show…
Democrat James Talarico appeared in public for the first time since late September, returning to the campaign trail as his US Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton goes down to the wire.
10 publishers
James Talarico has reportedly been absent from the Texas Senate campaign trail for nearly two weeks, and Republicans are having a FIELD DAY. Ken Paxton’s campaign is distributing missing-person-style flyers, President Trump is openly mocking Talarico, and Dana Loesch has a fascinating theory about what’s really happening. Larry sits down with Dana to…
James Talarico has reportedly been absent from the Texas Senate campaign trail for nearly two weeks, and Republicans are having a FIELD DAY. Ken Paxton’s campaign is distributing missing-person-style flyers, President Trump is openly mocking Talarico, and Dana Loesch has a fascinating theory about what’s really happening. Larry sits down with Dana to…
James Talarico has reportedly been absent from the Texas Senate campaign trail for nearly two weeks, and Republicans are having a FIELD DAY. Ken Paxton’s campaign is distributing missing-person-style flyers, President Trump is openly mocking Talarico, and Dana Loesch has a fascinating theory about what’s really happening. Larry sits down with Dana to…
Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was spotted on the campaign trail for the first time after a nearly two-week absence, an absence that drew heavy speculation. Talarico disappeared late last month in the homestretch of the critical Senate race. His campaign told the media on Friday that it was due to a diagnosis of…
Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico's social media influencer army has been privately fretting over his prolonged absence from the campaign trail, leaked Slack messages obtained by The Post reveal.
A Senate nominee’s sudden appearance after nearly two weeks of questionably explained absence from the campaign trail called for prompt “gaslighting on his whereabouts.” Among the myriad…
James Talarico resurfaces at Austin City Limits after a 12-day absence that drew sharp attacks from Trump and Ken Paxton on the campaign trail.
Where is James Talarico? That’s the question throwing Democrats into “panic” and shaking up the marquee Texas Senate race as Talarico’s ground campaign goes dark for 13 consecutive days. The Democrat insists he’s fighting the flu, but his prolonged absence is fueling intense speculation. Sara Gonzales, who hosts a show on BlazeTV, said she “received ...
James Talarico has been missing in action for almost two weeks. His campaign would like us to believe "the flu" is to blame. In the words of one Texas Democrat, who for obvious reasons declined to be named, "He's, like, really sick." The American people aren't buying it.
Republican strategist Caroline Wren said Saturday that Texas Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico owes voters answers about his extended absence from the campaign trail, questioning whether he could handle the demands of the Senate.
