Talarico returns to campaign trail, says he's 'feeling much better' after flu
Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico has resumed public appearances after a nearly two-week absence due to the flu.
In his first public appearance since Sept. 30, Talarico, 37, was seen walking the grounds of Austin’s Zilker Park and greeting voters ahead of an onstage appearance at the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival on Friday.
That day, campaign spokesperson JT Ennis posted on X: “Hate to disappoint the conspiracy theorists, but James is still alive and meeting with voters at ACL today.”
Talarico also attended a Kacey Musgraves concert in Dallas on Saturday.
The weekend outings were his first public appearances since he revealed on Sept. 30, during a virtual U.S. Hispanic Business Council event, that he had been diagnosed with the flu and was recovering at home in Austin.
During his absence, social media theories about his whereabouts spread. Among them was one from former reality TV star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who claimed Talarico was in a “mental health facility.”
An unverified audio clip also circulated in which a spokesperson for Lindner Center of Hope, a mental health nonprofit in Ohio, would not deny that Talarico had checked in to the facility. The Lindner Center released a statement Sunday stating that "Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.”
In an interview Sunday with a local NBC affiliate in Dallas, Talarico said he came down with the flu but was now “feeling much better,” adding, “If I don't take the opportunity to get well, sometimes you can get even sicker. I'm glad we made the decision to just take the week, get better and now I'm glad to be back on the trail.”
When asked whether the illness was related to his diabetes, Talarico said, “It wasn’t any worse than a nasty case of the flu.”
“So I was in bed, you know, drinking lots of liquids,” he said. “ I didn't want to be out on the trail and didn't want to get anyone else sick. I think it's important for leaders to be responsible in these moments.”
Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton and President Donald Trump seized on his absence, demanding “proof of life” and circulating missing-person posters.
In a Truth Social post on Oct. 8, Trump claimed Talarico had been missing for 12 days and questioned the explanation for his absence.
“TalaFREAKo has been missing for 12 days!” Trump wrote. “Now, after looking for him throughout all of Texas, and beyond, probably even weirder places than anyone would think possible, he put out a statement that he has the ‘flu’. 12 days is a long time to rid yourself of the so-called flu bug.”
“What’s going on?” Trump added.
Talarico’s extended absence followed a fundraising trip to New York City, where he attended events with allies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani shortly before reporting his illness.
