Colin Allred Falls Short To Ted Cruz In Tight Texas Senate Race
Rep. Colin Allred (D), who is running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R), waves to the crowd at a rally for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, which included a guest appearance by Beyoncé, at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas on October 25, 2024. (Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In a historic turn of events, Democratic challenger Colin Allred fell short in his historic bid to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz in their U.S. Senate race in Texas.
CNN called the race for Cruz, who will go on to serve his third term in the U.S. Senate.
Allred’s Vision for Texas
Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and U.S. Representative centered his campaign on key issues:
- Healthcare: Allred advocates for expanding the Affordable Care Act to ensure all Texans have access to quality, affordable healthcare. He emphasizes lowering prescription drug costs and increasing access to mental health services.
- Reproductive Rights: He supports restoring protections under Roe v. Wade, opposing restrictive abortion laws, and expanding access to affordable contraception.
- Economic Growth: Allred plans to invest in infrastructure, education, and job training programs to stimulate job growth. He supports raising wages and opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
- Education: He calls for investing in public schools, lowering childcare costs, implementing universal pre-K, and expanding access to community college. Allred also advocates for raising teacher pay.
- Energy and Environment: Allred supports responsible oil and gas production and has worked to secure funding for plugging orphan wells in Texas. He believes Texas should lead in renewable and clean energy to maintain its status as the top energy-producing state.
Cruz, on the other hand, emphasized conservative principles such as limited government, strict immigration policies, and Second Amendment rights. He highlighted efforts to reduce federal regulations and support tax cuts.
Polling Trends
Throughout the campaign, the Texas Senate race between incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred remained highly competitive. A Cygnal poll conducted from October 27 to 29 showed Cruz leading Allred by 4 percentage points, with 49% to 45% support among likely voters.
Historical Context
Allred was chasing history in a state long considered a Republican stronghold. Cruz’s narrow win over Democrat Beto O’Rourke in 2018 hinted at a more competitive political environment, but Allred’s loss suggests there may not be a broader shift, influenced by demographic changes and evolving voter priorities.
As official results were finalized, both campaigns have expressed gratitude to their supporters. Allred’s team emphasized the importance of voter engagement, while Cruz’s camp acknowledged the competitive nature of the race.
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