Most political campaigns produce October surprises but James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in Texas, deserves the prize for the weirdest stunt in the current midterm cycle. He vanished from the campaign trail after a September 26 event and no voter from the Lone Star State saw him in-person again until October 9, when he suddenly showed up for 15 minutes at the Austin City Limits concert. The only contact any Texan had with Talarico during the preceding 12 days was a September 30 Zoom meeting with the U.S. Hispanic Business Council in the Rio Grande Valley. He was scheduled to speak in-person, but he begged off due to illness.
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Unless the actual reason for his disappearing act is instantly and irrevocably disqualifying, he and his staff should just come clean about it.
According to an NBC report, Talarico had been diagnosed with the flu. At age 37, this should have laid him up for 3 or 4 days maximum, but he continued to remain in seclusion far longer. He canceled an October 5 event with the Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium. Unless he was at death’s door, this was stupid. Fox News reports, “Democratic strategists are worried that Senate hopeful James Talarico’s chances of flipping Texas blue are being jeopardized by what they see as a major vulnerability: a lack of enthusiasm on the part of Texas Black voters.” This is exacerbated by the refusal of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) to campaign for him. The Austin Independent quotes her explanation for not doing so.
The best thing that I can do for James Talarico isn’t me standing on a stage with him. It is the fact that I endorsed five candidates in the runoff who all happen to be Black men in the state of Texas and every single one of them won and they’re going on to November, meaning that they will pull out more Black people to vote. People keep trying to say, ‘Well, Jasmine has to go and hold his hand.’ Nah, I don’t … And, honestly some people are just not gonna be sold on certain people that are running in the state of Texas. So the best thing I can do is take down ballot candidates.
Meanwhile, the day after Talarico failed to show up at the Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium, he cancelled yet another event. He was scheduled to appear on October 6 at a Final Austin Fundraiser but his campaign rescheduled that for October 23. Meanwhile, Talarico’s GOP opponent, Ken Paxton, began posting “missing person” alerts on social media. One such alert simply asked, “Where’s Jimmy?” Another inquired, “Have you seen this man? Last seen 12 days ago.” Yet another took the form of a wanted poster, and offered a mock reward, “For any sign of life.” On a more serious note, Paxton wrote that Talarico owed the voters of the Lone Star State a reasonably plausible explanation for his sudden disappearance.
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James Talarico skipped out on the Hispanic business leaders, canceled on the Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium, and tried to pass off old content as new. He doesn’t get to reappear like nothing happened after ghosting the 31 million Texans he wants to represent for two weeks. The “flu” didn’t stop him from meeting with New York billionaires and Hollywood elites, or from partying with celebrities at a music festival most working Texans don’t have the luxury of attending, especially after taking two weeks off work. Must be nice after two weeks of PTO.
This explanation for Talarico’s absence is plausible if true. At 1:08 p.m. on Sunday, Rhein Amacher posted the following on X: “I personally contacted @LindnerCtrHope in Mason, Ohio, to determine whether Talarico was or had previously been a patient. During my recorded call, an individual identifying themselves as a female facility employee reportedly stated that Talarico was no longer a patient and had been discharged within the previous 24–48 hours.” Amacher’s X profile indicates he was somehow connected to the 2024 Trump campaign. It must be said that, if anyone at the Linder Center revealed any information at all on Talarico — without his permission — it is certainly a HIPPA violation. And neither HHS nor the DOJ will be pleased.
Whether or not the above is just another social media hoax, it is more believable than Talarico’s claim that a mere case of the flu caused his 12-day absence from the Texas campaign trail. Unless the actual reason for his disappearing act is instantly and irrevocably disqualifying, he and his staff should just come clean about it. Talarico’s next national media appearance is scheduled to take place on October 14 at a CNN Jubilee Media Town Hall. That’s the day after tomorrow, and either the moderator or a member of the audience will bring this up. If he continues the farce, his purported lead in the polls is likely to evaporate. Texas voters have patiently watched Talarico change virtually all of his positions on the issues. This final lie could well be fatal.
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