Talarico says he wouldn’t change how he handled nine-day flu absence

Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico called out his opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, for fueling conspiracy theories during his nine-day absence with the flu, saying he wouldn’t do anything different during a live town hall hosted by CNN on Wednesday night.

The Texas Democrat returned to the campaign trail last weekend after more than a week away with the flu, as conspiracy theories from right-wing activists spread like wildfire across social media. Talarico said staying home was the “responsible” decision, promptly responding “no” when asked whether he would have done anything differently.