Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign is demanding answers—and a pulse—after Democrat nominee James Talarico has now been missing from the campaign trail for 12 days. The mystery surrounding the state representative's whereabouts deepened this week, prompting the Paxton campaign to issue a blistering statement requesting "proof of life" and drawing a direct call for action from President Donald Trump.
According to reports from RedState, Talarico's last confirmed public appearance in Texas was on Saturday, Sept. 26. Following that, he departed for a fundraising trip to New York City featuring a VIP dinner that ran $27,000 a plate. The guest list for that high-dollar event reportedly included a filmmaker who has referred to America as a "s***hole" and a group that advocates for child sex change surgeries.
Since returning from the Big Apple, the Democrat nominee has been effectively invisible. He skipped an in-person speech scheduled for Sept. 30 to the U.S. Hispanic Business Council in the Rio Grande Valley, joining virtually from a hotel instead. Attendees were told by staff that Talarico was "ill and was unable to travel." During that remote appearance, Talarico claimed he had been diagnosed with the flu at an urgent care clinic in Dallas.
"I was ready to eat my favorite quesadilla tacos, but I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago, and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas," Talarico said during the Zoom call, according to RedState.
However, the timeline of that illness is facing scrutiny. Social media users have disputed the account, noting the timeline does not align with his travel to New York. More troublingly, RedState reports that on Friday, Oct. 2, the Talarico campaign posted video footage that was actually from a Feb. 22 rally—held before he had even won the Democrat nomination—attempting to pass it off as current campaign activity.
A CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY
With the silence stretching into nearly two weeks, the Paxton campaign is no longer accepting the flu excuse. In a statement released this week, they questioned the Democrat's ability to serve.
"Twelve days of radio silence raise obvious questions: Is James Talarico still running for U.S. Senate, or has the mere thought of having to defend his own record sent him scrambling for a fainting couch in search of emotional support?" the Paxton campaign stated.
The pressure was turned up significantly when President Trump weighed in, demanding that both candidates face the voters. The 47th President took to social media to insist that the candidates "immediately report to a Debate Stage."
While the Paxton campaign hammered the Democrats for hiding their candidate, the establishment media has attempted to paint the GOP's demands for transparency as cruel. Critics on X suggested Paxton was being mean for picking on a sick man. Yet, as RedState noted, after being gaslit for four years about President Biden's cognitive and physical condition, Democrats have zero standing to complain when Republicans question the absence of a prominent candidate.
The stakes are high. Control of the U.S. Senate is on the line, and Texas is a must-win state for the America First agenda. With early voting approaching, the Democrat nominee is polling to be nowhere in sight. If Talarico is healthy enough to fundraise with Hollywood elites and Silicon Valley donors, he is healthy enough to stand on a debate stage and defend his radical record.
Our Take
Let's call this what it is: a deliberate strategy.
The Democrats learned a lesson from the Biden administration. When you have a candidate with radical views and a weak record, you hide them in the basement and let the media cover for them. The "flu" excuse is the oldest trick in the political playbook, but recycling footage from February? That's not a symptom of illness; that's a symptom of panic.
Patriots, ask yourself: Why is James Talarico hiding? Is it because he is actually ill, or is it because he doesn't want to answer for his fundraising trip with people who hate this country? Is he avoiding the stage because he knows his radical positions on gender ideology and his disdain for Texas values will be exposed the moment he steps into the light?
The Paxton campaign's request for "proof of life" is more than a witty jab—it is a serious demand for accountability. You cannot run for the United States Senate from a hotel room in the dark. You cannot represent the people of Texas if you are too afraid to stand in front of them.
President Trump is right. It is time to debate. But if Talarico can't handle the heat of a campaign trail, he certainly can't handle the heat of the Senate floor. Texas deserves a Senator who shows up. If the Democrats can't even produce their candidate for a photo op, they have no business asking for your vote.
The clock is ticking, and the silence is deafening. It's time for Talarico to face the music—or step aside.
