Conspiracies mount after Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talaricos absence for nine days due to nasty case of the flu

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico is clarifying the timeline of his “nasty” flu diagnosis after missing more than a week of in-person campaigning in the critical Texas Senate race and sparking widespread online speculation.The campaign told The Post on Monday that Talarico had visited urgent care on Sept.29 before going to an appointment with his primary care physician in Texas the following week.

The added information was intended to provide more detail on why he was sidelined in the race that will determine control of the US Senate.His campaign also said that he’s more than well enough to debate Republican Ken Paxton, who they accused of hiding from voters.“James is excited to be back on the campaign trail after recovering from the flu,” said spokesman JT Ennis in a statement Monday.“It’s been 87 days since James challenged Ken Paxton to come out of hiding and answer Texans’ questions in a debate, which even President Trump called on him to do.

Ball is in Paxton’s court.”Talarico, 37, initially said he was sick “so bad that I went to the urgent care in Dallas,” but when he emerged Sunday night — amid internet speculation over denied claims of a mental breakdown — Talarico said he went to his “primary care physician, but it wasn’t anything worse than a nasty case of the flu.”The disappearances and discrepancies on his healthcare visits fueled online speculation that he was seeking mental health treatment in Ohio — which has been debunked by the campaign and the facility itself.“Last week James Talarico was home in Austin, Texas recovering from the flu,” spokesman JT Ennis posted on X after a self-described “right-wing provocateur” published claims — including a purported phone call — that the Texas state rep checked himself into a Cincinnati-based treatment center.“Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope,” the mental health facility, which s...