Of course they were. I've been in this game for a long time and can tell you that what Senators will not countenance is having to delay or cancel fundraising events. That's why they won't delay a recess, even when it's really important. Because god forbid they cancel fundraisers.

Yep! Read the article. I get into that.

Yes, read the rest of the article, where I make this point a few times.

"He’s in a pickle, with a wife from his youth who became unacceptable in the political fantasy he is trying to create, which is like Nazi propaganda imagining a 'homeland' populated only by strong-jawed Aryan men and their buxom blonde wives."

www.salon.com/2025/11/10/w...

"The rumors reflect a much deeper reality that people are exactly right to perceive:

"Vance is a soulless striver who will sell off anything if he thought it would give him more power."

www.salon.com/2025/11/10/w...

Why read past headlines: You know this isn't just hot gossip, though that's part of it.

Vance is a grasping opportunist. He is saddled with a wife that makes the hardcore MAGA base distrust him.

We all have eyes, so I unspool why this resonated.

www.salon.com/2025/11/10/w...

They panicked because of something everyone would blame on Trump? I'm skeptical of that. They are just tired and don't want to fight.

He’s not. He just followed back some followers. But also Christians do also get horny.

Yeah, not to nerd out too much, but that's one reason you know this is desperate. Because weak sauce oppo can often backfire on the campaign that releases it, by giving your opponent a chance to show how they won't be broken by bullshit.

One like!

So yeah. I totally get why most people don't understand how this works! Thus, the explanation. But that's why you can be pretty certain that this bullshit story was seeded by the establishment Dem camp that wants Allred to win, not Talarico.

It would be one thing if there was a single shred of evidence that Talarico is a horny reply guy. He follows some people who follow him, probably because they also have a lot of followers. And it's not only acceptable but admirable to treat models and even sex workers as legitimate voters.

As I note, Talarico pulled ahead in the polls ahead of Allred. The very next day, this attempt to smear him as a horny reply guy comes out. It's got every red waving flag for "Democratic primary oppo dump."

But yes, Axios dropped the ball. They should have not run this story.

Opposition researchers collect a bunch of information on their opponents that build out a database of tip sheets. Sometimes the story is so juicy that they immediately contact a reporter.

In other cases — like this — it's weak sauce. So they hold it back, unless they start to get desperate.

Getting a couple of folks saying "Axios published this weak hit piece on Talarico, why are you blaming Democrats?" So, a quick lesson in how this works:

Stories like this are almost never generated by the reporter themselves. Instead, they get a "tip" from an opposition researcher.

Axios almost certainly got this from a Democratic opposition researcher, likely working for Allred. That's how this happens.

Because they want Allred to be the nominee.

No, and I understand that you may not know how this works. Axios did not report this on their own. They almost certainly got it from an opposition researcher, probably working for Allred.

I get this stuff all the time from researchers. This is weak sauce though, would have never run it.