Yet another House Democrat is taking on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), whose re-election campaign immediately shot back at the 2024 election challenger.
Rep. Colin Allred, a former Tennessee Titans linebacker and Obama administration official who has represented Texas‘ 32nd district since 2019, announced his campaign on Wednesday.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate because Texans deserve a Senator whose team is Texas. Ted Cruz only cares about himself,” Allred said in a tweet.
In an accompanying video announcement, Allred knocked Cruz over various political matters and the incumbent senator’s record. The video touted reports that Allred was the first member of Congress to take paid paternity leave and the candidate talked about going from a “working class kid raised by a single mom” to making it to the NFL, law school, and then Congress.
I’m running for U.S. Senate because Texans deserve a Senator whose team is Texas. Ted Cruz only cares about himself.
Join our campaign today: https://t.co/2dROrrQrPV pic.twitter.com/9iz9yu1rFb
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) May 3, 2023
“Some people say a Democrat can’t win in Texas,” he said. “Well someone like me was never supposed to get this far. I’ve taken down a lot tougher guys than Ted Cruz. So let’s get on the field and find out.”
Cruz told supporters in February that he would seek a third term in the Senate “so we keep Texas red,” according to the Houston Chronicle. The senator won re-election in 2018 against another challenger from the House, then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke, after Cruz ran for president in the 2016 contest. O’Rourke, who raised $80 million in his campaign against Cruz, then ran against and lost to Republican Governor Greg Abbott in 2022.
In the first quarter of 2023, Cruz’s campaign said the senator raised $1.5 million, per the Texas Tribune. At that time, before Allred declared, he had $2 million cash on hand.
After Allred announced his bid on Wednesday, the Cruz campaign fired back in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire and a graphic that labeled the Democrat a “puppet” for House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
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Sen. @tedcruz campaign response . “Not only does Colin Allred vote with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time, but his voting record is completely out-of-touch with Texas. Allred wants men to compete in women’s sports, isn’t serious about addressing the crisis at the border…” @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/bwmxq3R8nW
— Steven Dial (@StevenDialFox4) May 3, 2023
“Democrats have once again turned to a far-left radical to run for Senate. Not only does Colin Allred vote with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time, but his voting record is completely out-of-touch with Texas,” said Cruz spokesperson Nick Maddux.
Maddux then argued that Allred’s record and values are out of line with what Texans want.
“Allred wants men to compete in women’s sports, isn’t serious about addressing the crisis at the border, wants to take away law-abiding Texans’ guns, and is soft on punishing murderers,” Maddux said.
“Bottom line, Allred is too extreme for Texas. Thankfully, the Lone Star State has a tireless champion in Sen. Ted Cruz. For over a decade, Sen. Cruz has been leading the fight for jobs, freedom, and security in Texas,” Maddux said. “As Senator for Texas, Sen. Cruz will continue to do everything he can to bring more jobs to Texas, fight out-of-control government spending, and support the oil and gas industry from the attacks of Democrats like [President] Joe Biden and Colin Allred.”