May 4, 2023- U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, announced Wednesday he is challenging U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for reelection.
The three-term congressman made the announcement on a three-minute video posted on social media. Allred had been considering a campaign for months and it was no surprise when he announced he was running.
Allred’s campaign begins as an uphill battle. A Democrat hasn’t won a statewide election in Texas since 1994, and while Cruz’s 2018 reelection race against Beto O’Rourke was surprisingly tight, Democrats have not been able to replicate such a close contest since then.
Cruz’s campaign responded by calling Allred “too extreme for Texas,” stated his faithful voting record with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ted Cruz has some of the highest job-approval ratings among republicans in the state and has gathered considerable influence in the senate since his last reelection. Cruz has now become a staple part of the Republican image through his years serving the state of Texas.
Several harsh words and accusations were exchanged through both campaigns from Senator Cruz and Representative Allred.
Allred is also a civil rights lawyer who worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under former President Barack Obama. While, Cruz is running for a third term in the Senate after toying with making another White House bid in 2024
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, is also likely to run but is not expected to make any announcement until after the legislative session, which ends May 29.
