Talarico Returns to Campaigning at Austin City Limits

James Talarico appeared at the Austin City Limits music festival in Austin on Friday, Oct. 9, returning to public campaigning after several days away and a flu diagnosis he had announced on Sept. 30. Reporters saw the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee greeting voters at the festival, and his campaign spokesperson said he was back on the campaign trail. Talarico had not made an in-person campaign appearance for roughly nine days, according to reporting on his return. On Sept. 30, he joined a virtual event and said he had been diagnosed with the flu after visiting an urgent-care clinic in Dallas the night before. He said he was staying away from events to avoid passing the illness to others. Those statements are his account; the supplied reporting does not independently confirm the diagnosis or clinic visit. His campaign said Thursday that he was recovering and planned to resume campaigning that weekend. His festival appearance followed days of criticism from Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton’s campaign, which questioned Talarico’s absence and staged efforts to solicit sightings of him. Paxton’s campaign also publicly challenged his fitness to seek office.