James Talarico’s 12-Day Campaign Absence Deserves Scrutiny in Texas

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.