Trump and Paxton Target Absent Texas Senate Candidate Talarico

President Donald Trump and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have intensified their attacks on Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, questioning his explanation for being absent from the campaign trail for over a week as he recovers from the flu.

Trump, speaking at a rally in Texas, suggested Talarico's absence was due to political reasons, referencing a mischaracterization of Talarico's dietary habits. "I hear the guy has disappeared -- nobody knows. You know where he is? He's sick because he's forced to eat meat for political reasons and he's throwing up all over the place," Trump said.

Republicans, including Paxton, have focused on Talarico's diet, referencing past comments he made about reducing meat consumption. Talarico is not vegan, as has been suggested by some critics.

Paxton, addressing the crowd before Trump, repeatedly asked, "Where do you think they hid that little socialist?" and led the audience in a chant of "Where is James Talarico?"

Talarico's campaign stated he moved an appearance to virtual capacity and canceled some events due to illness. He had previously spoken about managing Type 1 diabetes, a condition that could complicate recovery from the flu. During a virtual appearance on September 30, Talarico explained his decision to isolate himself: "I want to keep everybody safe... If I was passing on this illness to somebody and got someone's grandmother or someone's baby sick, I ... couldn't live with myself, so I thought the best thing to do was to put safety first and put everyone's health first."

The Democratic candidate's last in-person event was on September 26. His campaign has not provided a timeline for his return to in-person campaigning but assured supporters he would be "back on the trail soon." Talarico is scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall next Wednesday and has not indicated he will miss it.

Talarico has also been actively challenging Paxton to debates, most recently proposing one on Fox News. Paxton has not responded to this proposal, nor did he accept an invitation for a CNN debate. While an adviser for Paxton's campaign indicated earlier in the summer that he planned to debate Talarico, no debates have been scheduled. Talarico's campaign has previously stated that Paxton has declined all debate invitations.

The race for the Texas Senate seat is considered a crucial battleground in the upcoming midterm elections. Recent polling from The New York Times/Siena University and Fox News indicates a close contest between Talarico and Paxton.