Talarico skips Bernie Sanders rally in Texas, campaigns separately as Senate race heats up

Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico skipped a Monday night rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in El Paso, instead holding campaign events hundreds of miles away in North Texas as his closely watched race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton enters its final weeks. Sanders appeared at the Abraham Chavez Theatre alongside former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Veronica Escobar as early voting began ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Talarico, meanwhile, held a rally at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth as part of his "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" campaign tour, following an earlier campaign stop in Denton. JAMES TALARICO RESURFACES AFTER EXTENDED ABSENCE AS HIS CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico's campaign for comment on why the candidate held a separate event instead of campaigning with the other Democrats, who used the El Paso event to promote his Senate bid and criticize Republican campaign spending. "They have spent, so far, $368 million just against one man, the next senator from the state of Texas, James Talarico. That's how desperate, how scared and how panicked they are right now," O'Rourke told supporters. DEMOCRATS SEE NEW CHANCES TO FLIP RED STATES — BUT A $400M GOP SPENDING ADVANTAGE COULD DERAIL THEIR PLANS Casar also expressed support for Talarico, telling the crowd that electing him would help advance Democrats' legislative priorities. Sanders, who did not mention Talarico by name during his remarks, instead directed his criticism toward wealthy political donors and their influence on American elections. "What you are seeing in this campaign, what you are seeing right here in Texas, all over America, is multibillionaires are pouring hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars," Sanders said. The Vermont Independent urged supporters to vote early, casting the midterms as a battle over the political influence of wealthy Americans. At his separate Fort Worth rally, Talarico delivered a similar message about money in politics, targeting Paxton and billionaire Elon Musk over the influence of wealthy donors in the Texas Senate race. TALARICO SAYS THE DIVIDE IS 'TOP VS. BOTTOM' — THEN HEADS TO ONE OF AMERICA'S RICHEST DONOR ENCLAVES "We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis," Talarico told supporters. He also sought to frame his candidacy as an appeal beyond traditional party divisions. "This election shouldn't be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. It's bigger than that," he said. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Talarico and Paxton are competing for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The race has drawn national attention as Democrats seek their first Texas U.S. Senate victory since 1988. The Associated Press contributed to this report.