Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) made it official on Wednesday: He’s challenging Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for Senate.
The congressman came out swinging against Cruz, portraying him as an out-of-touch culture warrior uninterested in improving the lives of everyday Texans. Rumors swirled for months that he planned to run against Cruz. His launch video ticked off a slew of grievances with the incumbent senator.
ALL IN? COLIN ALLRED PLANS TO CHALLENGE TED CRUZ FOR HIS SENATE SEAT: REPORT
“When Texans were freezing in the dark, he jetted off to Cancun to do anything to get on Fox News but can’t be bothered to help keep rural Texas hospitals open,” Allred said in an announcement video, referring to the 2021 energy crisis in the Lone Star State. “The struggles of regular Texans just don’t interest him.”
Allred has widely been seen as a rising star within the House Democratic Caucus, having worked for House Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s (D-MA) team. He catapulted to prominence during the 2018 election cycle, in which he flipped Texas’s 32nd Congressional District by besting former Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX).
Since then, he’s held on to his seat twice despite hailing from a swing district full of conservative voters. He is a former NFL player, civil rights attorney, and special assistant in the Obama-era Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel. Allred is one of 13 Democrats in the 40-member Texas congressional delegation.
Given Cruz’s profile, any challenger to him is likely to draw significant national attention. Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke became a liberal darling after narrowly losing to the firebrand conservative by about 2.6 percentage points. He then ran unsuccessfully for president.
“We deserve a senator whose team is Texas. Ted Cruz only cares about himself,” Allred said. “You know that. He wants to divide us, to get people to fear their neighbors and turn on their teachers. He’d ban books, outlaw all abortions, and cut Social Security and Medicare. That’s not my Texas.”
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Cruz has indicated he is running for reelection to the upper chamber. Last quarter, he raised about $1.5 million, according to his campaign, while Allred hauled $2.2 million to his congressional account, per elections records.
Heading into the 2024 election cycle, Democrats find themselves in a defensive position, having to defend 23 seats, including three held by Democratic-aligned independents. Republicans only have to defend 10.
