This is a crucial race to watch. The Democrats are once again hoping to defeat Senator Ted Cruz.
Cruz handily won his primary race. As I write this, he won with 87.46% of the vote. There were two challengers on the ballot. Holland "Redd" Gibson received 7.29% of the vote, and R E (Rufus) Lopez received 5.25%. As a Texas voter, I confess I am not familiar with either of those two candidates.
Cruz sent out a press release after his victory in the primary race was announced.
"I am proud to be the GOP’s decisive nominee for U.S. Senate. This race is about our law enforcement officers, our parents, farmers, ranchers, students, oil and gas workers, neighbors, and pastors, who are proud to call the Lone Star State home. This is about Texas, about building bridges, fighting for our cadets, expanding highways, creating jobs, and protecting the state that we cherish so deeply. Never before has it been more important to unify and fight against the radical left who threaten to change what makes this state great. I look forward to continuing to meet Texans in every corner of the state as we work together to ensure that we keep Texas, Texas."
Keeping Texas, Texas means keeping Texas a red state. Democrats are keeping up their focus on trying to turn Texas blue. This is going to be an expensive and hard-fought race. Do I think Cruz will win in November? Yes. But it is going to be a barn-burner of a race.
Rep. Colin Allred defeated Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, by more than 40 points-59% to 17%. Gutierrez tried to ride his response to the tragic Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary School into a Senate seat. Allred won by portraying himself as a moderate Democrat, not a far-left progressive.
Gutierrez advocated for a single-payer health care system; Allred doesn’t, instead pushing for an expansion of Medicaid. Gutierrez had called for an immediate ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war; Allred has also urged an end to the violence, but with conditions. Gutierrez, whose district includes Uvalde, had proposed banning all new assault weapons purchases; Allred has been reluctant to propose the same.
Gun grabbers don't win big elections in Texas. Allred isn't stupid. Since 2019 he has represented the northeastern suburbs of Dallas Congress. His campaign pitch was that he was the best Democrat to beat Ted Cruz in November.
Jim Riddlesperger, a TCU political science professor, predicts that this match-up will energize Democrats in Texas. “They’re going to be motivated both by the presidential election, and by the competitive senate election, and by the Democrats’ lingering hope from six years ago that they can finally slay the dragon in Ted Cruz,” he predicted.
Ted Cruz won a tough race against Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke in 2018. Cruz won by only 3 points. Democrats threw everything they could at Cruz. Hollywood celebrities and entertainment executives pumped millions of dollars into O'Rourke's campaign. Look for the same this time around. Allred will bring the Democrat coastal elites back into Texas politics.
I will remain optimistic that Texas will stay in the red state column in this election cycle. There is no doubt that Trump will win Texas in November. He will bring Republican voters out and they will vote Republican down the ballot. A Republican cannot win the presidency without Texas and that is why there is so much determination by Democrats to turn Texas blue.
The point is, though, it will be another tough race for Cruz. A lot of resources will be used to get him re-elected. No Democrat has won a statewide race in thirty years. No other state has that record. Democrats are laser-focused on two successful red states - Texas and Florida. The Senate is looking good for a Republican flip. The Democrats have a razor-thin majority of 51-49. Senator Joe Manchin is not running for re-election and that seat will go to a Republican. Senator Sinema is not running again. That likely helps Republican Kari Lake. Senator John Thune, the No. 2 in the Senate and currently running for the top leadership position, endorsed Lake yesterday.
Allred began his time in the House by defeating a Republican. That was the same year that Cruz ran against O'Rourke.
Allred, 40, has ousted a Republican incumbent before, taking advantage of shifting demographics in a U.S. House district in Dallas held for more than two decades by former GOP U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions to win his congressional seat in 2018. That same year, Cruz narrowly beat Beto O’Rourke for reelection by less than 3 percentage points. It was the closest Democrats have come in decades to winning a statewide seat and happened during a midterm election that wound up being a strong year for Democrats nationally.
Cruz has raised more than $46M for his third term run.
Allred came out right away with a post on X, formerly Twitter, blasting Cruz on the Democrats' main platform for this election cycle - abortion.
"We're gonna make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again when I'm in the U.S. Senate so that folks like Ted Cruz can't force Texas women to flee their own state to get the health care they need."
— The Recount (@therecount) March 6, 2024
— Colin Allred in his Democratic primary victory speech for U.S. Senate in Texas pic.twitter.com/6KWVK4QELe
Allred is popular among Texas Democrats. He is looked at as a rising star. He regularly talks about being the child of a single mother. He earned a football scholarship at Baylor University. He went on to play in the NFL. Allred worked in the Obama administration before he was elected to Congress.
Allred has raised more than $21M since he entered the race.
Cruz is reaching out to Texas Democrats.
Liberty is not partisan.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 6, 2024
I am proud to welcome the support of Democrats across the Lone Star State who have placed their trust in me to continue leading the fight for jobs, opportunities, and security.https://t.co/eEgJd5NyV2 pic.twitter.com/LgZsRGp2Gu
The Democrats in that campaign video tell the tale. Americans are fed up. "Democrats are too liberal." Democrats have the same top issues as Republicans outside of the Beltway. The issues are the economy and the Biden border crisis. Joe Biden has been a disaster as he continues to kowtow to far-left progressives. Will Colin Allred tap into common sense voters who say enough is enough? That remains to be seen. This is a race to watch as we move forward toward November.
