Trump Calls for Talarico-Paxton Debate as Talarico Recovers From Flu

President Donald Trump’s call for James Talarico and Ken Paxton to debate has brought renewed attention to the Texas Senate candidates’ long-running debate dispute, while Talarico’s campaign says he is recovering from the flu and plans to resume campaigning this weekend. Talarico publicly agreed to Trump’s challenge on October 8, but no debate had been scheduled and Paxton had not publicly accepted one. The dispute intensified after Trump and Paxton criticized Talarico’s absence from in-person campaign events at a rally in San Antonio on October 7. Paxton led attendees in asking where Talarico was, and Trump later urged him to appear on a debate stage with Paxton. Their descriptions of Talarico as missing referred to his campaign appearances; they did not establish that his physical whereabouts were unknown. Talarico explained his absence during a virtual September 30 forum hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council. He said a Dallas urgent-care clinic diagnosed him with the flu the previous night and that he was staying away from events to avoid infecting others.