Leaked Messages Reveal Talarico Campaign Concerns

James Talarico’s prolonged absence from the Texas Senate campaign trail has reportedly become a concern inside his own volunteer operation, with leaked Slack messages revealing private worries about the Democrat losing momentum in his race against Republican Ken Paxton.

The messages, obtained by the New York Post, show volunteers discussing Talarico’s absence and the campaign’s response to growing questions about his whereabouts. While some dismissed the criticism as partisan attacks, others expressed concern about the campaign’s messaging and looked ahead to his expected return.

“I think it’ll be fine. It’s just conservatives blasting him. I’m just worried about him losing momentum,” volunteer Alex Balderas wrote in the group chat, which reportedly includes nearly 4,000 people. Balderas added that he expected Talarico to make a comeback during an upcoming CNN town hall.

Talarico last held an in-person public campaign event on September 26, when he spoke about gas prices, according to the report. He attended a private fundraiser in New York City on September 28 featuring actor Robert De Niro and participated virtually in a Hispanic Business Council forum on September 30. His extended absence from public campaign appearances has nevertheless fueled questions as the November election approaches.

President Donald Trump joined the criticism Thursday, questioning Talarico’s whereabouts in a post on Truth Social and using his nickname for the Democratic candidate.

“TalaFREAKo has been missing for 12 days!” Trump wrote, before questioning whether the flu, which Talarico’s campaign cited as the reason for his absence, fully explained the extended break from campaigning.

At a rally Wednesday, Trump also remarked that nobody seemed to know where the Democrat was and challenged him to return to the campaign trail. Paxton similarly taunted Talarico on X, demanding proof of life and adding to the pressure on his opponent to make a public appearance.

The leaked messages suggest that concerns about Talarico’s absence are not limited to his political opponents. Balderas urged campaign spokesman JT Ennis to provide an update on the candidate’s health, noting that critics were questioning the explanation for his absence.

Balderas also said Talarico’s type 1 diabetes was contributing to his recovery, while accusing conservatives of acting immorally by questioning his illness. Another volunteer, Jacob Weber, dismissed the controversy as a manufactured issue, writing that the people raising concerns were not genuinely upset.

Balderas agreed that conservatives were making too much of what he characterized as two canceled events because Talarico was sick. He also expressed hope that the Democrat would eventually criticize Paxton for his own campaign activity.

Talarico’s campaign has maintained that the candidate has been recovering from the flu and intends to return to public events this weekend.

“After holding more than 100 public events and shaking tens of thousands of hands, James came down with the flu but will be back on the trail this weekend,” Ennis told the New York Post.

The spokesman also attacked Paxton, accusing the Republican of ignoring Texans and prioritizing wealthy donors and special interests.

The dispute comes as the Texas Senate race draws national attention. Talarico has mounted a competitive challenge to Paxton, and both campaigns are under pressure to make their case to voters before Election Day. The New York Post reported that Talarico was leading Paxton by 2.8 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics polling average cited in its article.

Talarico is scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall on October 14, but his campaign says he will return to the trail before then. His next public appearances are likely to draw attention after nearly two weeks away from in-person campaign events.