In a crucial Senate contest this November, Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) will make a bid to oust Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
In the Texas Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Cruz, Allred emerged as the victor, defeating state Sen. Roland Gutierrez and seven other Democrats. It’s worth noting that Cruz narrowly won re-election in 2018.
Allred has managed to avoid a runoff election against Gutierrez by securing over 50% of the Democratic primary vote.
Tom Allred, a member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, has been serving in the House since 2019. Prior to his political career, Allred played in the NFL and later pursued law, specializing in civil rights. He worked as a civil rights lawyer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Allred presented himself as a savvy and strategic option for Democrats, emphasizing his ability to work across party lines. He highlighted his achievement of unseating a long-standing Republican incumbent to secure his House seat in the Dallas region.
During a debate in January, Gutierrez positioned himself as a more progressive alternative, emphasizing that the key to Democratic success lies in inspiring every Democrat in this state to engage new voters, rather than shifting towards the center.
Since announcing his candidacy last year, Allred has maintained a significant fundraising advantage and has consistently held a lead in the polls.
In 2018, Cruz faced a formidable challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke, but managed to emerge victorious. However, in a last-minute attempt to sway voters, Cruz resorted to falsely accusing O’Rourke’s campaign of funding a migrant caravan.
Cruz ended up winning by a narrow margin of less than 3 percentage points in a state that Trump had previously won by over 5 percentage points in 2020. In the aftermath of the election, Cruz essentially retracted his previous claim about the caravan.
During the upcoming general election, one of the prominent subjects of discussion is expected to be Cruz’s well-known trip to Cancun in 2021. This trip took place amidst a severe winter storm that resulted in millions of Texans being left without power.
