Talarico Campaign Responds to Shocking Reporting in the Case of the 'Missing' Senate Candidate

Where was Texas Senate candidate James Talarico for nearly two weeks? Despite reporting from independent journalists that broke Sunday, his campaign said on Sunday he was at home with the flu and that any reporting to the contrary was a "conspiracy theory."

We haven’t seen medical records confirming he had the “flu.” There were reporters staked outside of his home for over a week. And one would think that someone who harps about flu vaccines and even wears masks on the campaign trail would be able to recover enough to at least make a cursory appearance in public or show up on a requested Zoom call.

Nope. So, leave it to independent journalists to have to scrape together publicly available information, and gumshoe the rest, to increase the pressure on Talarico to come clean about where he was and what he was doing, because the shamelessly biased legacy media sure isn’t going to press for answers, beyond their stenographers typing up the Democrats’ shopworn talking points.

But the mystery surrounding Texas Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico's nearly two-week absence from the campaign trail has taken yet another dramatic turn.

Independent journalists Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher have released audio of a telephone conversation with someone identifying herself as an employee of the Lindner Center of Hope, a psychiatric treatment facility in Mason, Ohio.

🚨𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: My independent investigation into @JamesTalarico follows the initial reporting by @SaraGonzales and @CarolineWren concerning a reported private aircraft charter traveling from Hamilton, Ohio, to Austin, TX ➡️ Dallas, TX ➡️ Austin, TX. I personally contacted @LindnerCtrHope in Mason, Ohio, to determine whether Talarico was or had previously been a patient. During my recorded call, an individual identifying themselves as a female facility employee reportedly stated that Talarico was no longer a patient and had been discharged within the previous 24–48 hours. Texans deserve accurate, independently verified information about candidates seeking to represent them in the U.S. Senate. The stakes are too high for speculation.

— Rhein Amacher (@RheinAmacher) October 11, 2026

And what the woman says is raising some serious questions about Talarico's whereabouts. As PJ Media reported Sunday, Amacher called the facility and asked whether it had information concerning James Talarico.

After checking, the woman who allegedly works at the facility replied, "It looks like he was just discharged this evening."

"That's why I don't have it," she added.

Amacher then asked whether he was speaking to the Lindner Center of Hope in Ohio. The woman confirmed the facility's location.

Sortor published the recording on X after he and Amacher had given Talarico until 1 PM Eastern to explain his absence.

@nicksortor @jamestalarico Time is ticking, @TeamTalaricoHQ… ⏳

— Rhein Amacher (@RheinAmacher) October 11, 2026

The recording is the latest development following claims by Republican strategist Caroline Wren and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt that Talarico had spent time at a mental health facility.

Wren also highlighted private aircraft flight-tracking records showing a reported trip between Austin and Hamilton, Ohio, near the Lindner Center, followed by a return flight to Texas shortly before Talarico resurfaced Friday at the Austin City Limits music festival. 

Now there is a recorded conversation apparently connecting his name to the facility.

But Talarico's campaign is pushing back. Campaign spokesman JT Ennis said:  "This is a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory. Last week James Talarico was home in Austin, Texas, recovering from the flu."

This is a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory. Last week James Talarico was home in Austin, Texas recovering from the flu.

— JT Ennis (@jt_ennis) October 11, 2026

While the audio evidence is not definitive, it certainly ratchets up the pressure on the Talarico campaign to start documenting his alibi better for this serious case of going AWOL.

As it stands, the receipts being provided by the accusers are stacking up. And the receipts being provided by the Talarico campaign are looking paper-thin.

Editor’s Note: Republicans are fighting for election integrity by requiring proper identification to vote. It's common sense, yet Democrats are spreading lies about the impact of such a measure. 

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