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Chair of Texas Democratic Party says ‘we’re full steam ahead’ after Talarico’s flu recovery Kendall Scudder, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party, said Sunday he is confident in Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign in the wake of his illness. “We’re full steam ahead. And, of course, you’re going to see people in the swamps of the internet making up conspiracy theories. That’s what they always do,” Scudder told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.” “But the fact of the matter is, people get sick sometimes when you’re diabetic,” he added, referencing Talarico’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. “It takes you a little while to get recovered.” Talarico recently made his first public appearance in more than a week after his campaign said he was recuperating from the flu. He was spotted walking around Austin City Limits, an annual music festival in the Texas city. The Democratic Senate candidate told a reporter with The New York Times at the event Friday that he’d been sick with a “nasty case of the flu” and had been “home in bed.” Talarico’s reappearance came as his Republican opponent Ken Paxton and President Trump cast doubt on the Texas Democrat’s flu diagnosis and pushed for him to return to the campaign trail. Texas is known to be a red state, but this year’s Senate election comes with a few asterisks. Overall, Republicans are facing a tough electoral environment due to issues like the unpopular war in Iran, Trump’s sagging approval rating and concerns about the cost of living. Paxton, the Lone Star State’s attorney general, also comes with some baggage, as he faced an impeachment in the Texas House on corruption charges before he was later acquitted in the state’s Senate three years ago. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
document fetched 2026-10-12 02:53 · canonical https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6141753-talarico-campaign-full-steam-ahead