UPDATE: James Talarico denies viral report he was recently discharged from mental hospital, hospital says he’s never received treatment

Conservative campaign strategist Rhein Amacher had reported that he had confirmed rumors Sunday that Talarico had been discharged from a mental hospital although his campaign claimed the Democrat was waylaid with the flu. The hospital has since said "Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope."

“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,” Amacher said, reporting that he had phones the center.

In a recorded call, a woman on the other end of the line said “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. A longer version of the call was released indicating that perhaps there was confusion on the part of the woman who had answered the phone.

Talarico campaign spokesman JT Ennis swiftly issued a denial as the report went viral.

“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.

Talarico himself also issued a denial in an on-camera interview with Dallas-Fort Worth station NBC 5. "I just had the flu and I feel much better. But it’s a good reminder that you can’t believe everything you read on the internet," he claimed.

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.

However, the Blaze’s Sara Gonzales, independent reporter Nick Sortor and political strategist Caroline Wren, teased 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."

The Democratic nominee, who is also a Presbyterian seminarian, has faced continued backlash for a number of radical statements regarding Christianity and religion. Talarico has previously argued that abortion and transgenderism are acceptable under Christianity. He has also claimed that God is "non-binary" and once said on the Texas House floor that "modern science recognizes" more than two biological sexes.

Talarico has also called Jesus Christ a "radical feminist" and said the overturning of Roe v. Wade was "unchristian."

Regarding his political vision for Texas, Talarico has taken inspiration from New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In an interview last year after Mamdani won the Democratic primary, Talarico said Democrats should "adopt" the socialist's talking points. When asked whether his coalition would include Democratic socialists, Talarico responded by saying that Democrats need a "giant tent" that was "going to include some Democratic socialists."