State Rep. James Talarico is back on the campaign trail after a nine-day absence due to the flu, dismissing online rumors about his health and challenging Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to a debate in their U.S. Senate race. Talarico returned to public events Friday, greeting voters at the Aus tin City Limits Music Festival, before attending a Kacey Musgraves concert Saturday in Dallas. During an interview with NBC 5’s Phil Prazan in Dallas, Talarico addressed his recovery, speculation surrounding his absence and his ongoing campaign against Paxton, who defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the primary. “Yeah, I got the flu and I’m feeling much better. And I’m glad I had a chance to recover. You know, if you don’t take the opportunity to get well, sometimes you can get even sicker,” Talarico said. “And so I’m happy we made the decision to just take the week, get better. And now I’m back on the trail.” Talarico, who has previously discussed having diabetes, said he visited his primary care physician but described his illness as nothing worse than a nasty case of the flu. He said he spent much of his recovery resting in bed and drinking fluids, although his campaign still had him working from home. He also said he wanted to avoid potentially getting others sick. His absence fueled speculation on social media, including claims promoted by some conservatives and Paxton allies that he had experienced a stress-induced episode and was receiving treatment. Talarico rejected those claims: “That’s not true. I just had the flu and I feel much better. But it’s a good reminder that you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.” With his campaign appearances resuming, Talarico also turned his attention to Paxton and the possibility of a debate between the two Senate candidates. When asked about President Trump’s remarks that Paxton was ready and willing to debate, Talarico said he agreed that the candidates should face off: “I agree with President Trump. I think Ken Paxton should debate. The president’s saying he should debate, Fox News has said he should debate, the people of Texas have said he should debate and I think it’s mysterious that Ken Paxton hasn’t responded to a request for a debate in 85 days.” Talarico also mocked his opponent, suggesting Paxton’s unwillingness to debate was a sign of cowardice. In a reference to questions about his own health and whereabouts, Talarico ended with a pointed challenge to the attorney general: “I’m asking for proof of spine from him,” said Talarico. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less