BREAKING: Ohio mental hospital says it recently discharged James Talarico: report

Investigative reporter Rhein Amacher confirmed swirling rumors Sunday that Texas Senate candidate James Talarico had been discharged from a mental hospital as his campaign claimed the Democrat was waylaid with the flu.

Amacher said he personally had received confirmation about Talarico’s stay by calling the hospital.

“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,” he wrote on X.

The woman in the recording says Talarico “was just discharged this evening; that’s why I don’t have it” after telling Amacher that she could not confirm he was an inpatient.

Talarico campaign spokesman JT Ennis swiftly issued a denial.

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

With less than a month to go in the election, in which Talarico has been in a statistical dead heat with state Attorney General Ken Paxton to replace Republican Sen. John Cornyn, his campaign earlier sought to reassure voters regarding his 13-day absence from the campaign trail.

“James looks forward to being back out this weekend after recovering from the flu,” it said Friday.

But investigative reporters, including The Blaze’s Sara Gonzales, independent reporter Nick Sortor and political strategist Caroline Wren, soon began teasing the possibility of a potentially game-changing October surprise.

Sortor slammed the flu narrative as a “BIG FAT LIE” after helping to break the story of Amacher's recording.

"While I sympathize with those dealing with mental health crises, this man is CLEARLY not suited to become a US Senator representing over 30 MILLION TEXANS," Sortor wrote on X.

"The job doesn’t get easier after being elected — it only gets MORE stressful," Sortor added. "And Talarico clearly can’t handle it."