Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico's office said Thursday that the Texan has been missing from the campaign trail for the past 12 days because he has a flu, but is expected to return this weekend.

The state lawmaker's disappearance comes as Talarico and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running as the Republican nominee for Senate, enter the final stretch of their campaigns as voters prepare to head to the polls for the midterms next month. 

Talarico, who has made virtual remarks recently, was last seen in Texas on Sept. 26, but he made an appearance in New York on Sept. 29. The day after his New York trip, he traveled back to Texas and went to urgent care. 

“I was starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago, and last night it got so bad that I went to the urgent care here in Dallas, and I was diagnosed with the flu,” Talarico explained at a virtual Hispanic Business Council event. “I’m running a fever, and I’m my most contagious right now. 

"I guess I’ve been shaking too many hands on the campaign trail, and so I want to keep everybody safe," he added.

The Democrat's disappearance is unusual after he focused on connecting with voters in person at the start of his campaign. His disappearance has attracted the attention of President Donald Trump, who declared Talarico "missing in action," and dared him to debate Paxton ahead of the election. 

“After holding more than 100 public events and shaking tens of thousands of hands, James came down with the flu but will be back on the trail this weekend,” Talarico spokesman JT Ennis told NBC News. “Paxton has been ignoring Texans this entire campaign. His priorities are clear: he doesn’t answer to the people of this state, he answers to his billionaire megadonors and special interests."

Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder downplayed Talarico's absence but admitted Paxton "caught a little bit of a break” with the disappearance. 

“It’s certainly not ideal, but we want to make sure he does everything he needs to to make sure that he’s healthy and ready to go," Scudder said. "We’re in the homestretch, and it sounds like he’s on the mend, and that’s great news. He’s a phenomenal candidate, he’s been working really hard for a long time, and everyone gets sick every now and then.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.