In the upcoming reelection battle, Democratic opponent Colin Allred presents Ted Cruz with another financially backed adversary.
The city is situated in conservative Ellis County, directly south of Dallas, and it bears the name of one of the figures who played a significant role in Texas's separation from Mexico in 1836. After delivering a passionate speech filled with provocative language and humor tailored to Texas's distinctive sense of pride in an old theater called the Texas Theater, Cruz took the stage donning jeans and boots.
He declared, "We were established by a bunch of roustabouts." These were men with just a fourth-grade education who dared to drill holes into the earth. One after another, they amassed fortunes and eventually became the wealthiest individuals on the planet. That's Texas! Texas stands for: Give me a vast open field, a steadfast horse, and a dependable firearm, and I will conquer the world."
Ranked among the most conservative senators, Cruz's campaign for a third term should be a straightforward victory in a region that has been consistently electing Republicans in statewide contests for the past 30 years. Yet, for the second election in a row, Cruz is fighting tooth and nail to maintain his seat against a well-financed Democrat.
Rep. Colin Allred, a previous NFL linebacker and civil rights lawyer who ousted a Republican incumbent in 2014 for a US House seat, is currently challenging Cruz. Allred is portraying Cruz as an unpopular politician more interested in podcasting than enacting legislation.
The latest polls suggest a tightening race, reminiscent of when Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke barely lost to Cruz by less than 3% in 2018, causing widespread attention. National Democratic groups are once again pouring large sums into television ads, sparking hope among supporters that they can pull off an upset, albeit many remain dubious.
Both candidates present themselves as dedicated legislators capable of working across the aisle while simultaneously criticizing each other as radical candidates out of step with Texas voters. The ongoing ad wars on television further illuminate the contrast between the two developing ideas of the Texas electorate – a long-established conservative force or a shifting landscape with growing Democratic strongholds.
The latter is casting a shadow over Cruz's campaign, such as when he urges voters in his 53-city tour to support Republicans across the ballot.
"This race comes down to one fundamental thing," he states during his stump speech, "preserving Texas as Texas."
The controversies: Economy, borders, and transgender policies
As the election draws near, both candidates are tirelessly crisscrossing the state to emphasize their final messages. They will also confront each other in a televised debate Tuesday, courtesy of CNN affiliate WFAA.
Additionally, both campaigns, along with their affiliates, have collectively spent nearly $129 million on ads in the state's bustling and pricey media markets. Allred and his supporters have accounted for approximately two-thirds of this total, while Cruz and his allies have claimed the remaining third.
Cruz has primarily targeted Allred regarding three topics: the economy, the southern border, and transgender policies. He has launched multiple television advertisements emphasizing Allred's vote against a GOP-led House bill that intended to block transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at federally funded schools.
On the campaign trail, Cruz merges this subject into his stump speeches. "We live in a world where one of the two major parties is grappling with what constitutes a woman," he claimed in one of his speeches. "That wasn't supposed to be a trick question."
Allred has become the first Democratic candidate this election cycle to counterattack by releasing an ad addressing transgender issues – a prominent topic in the Republican presidential race and other congressional races.
"Ted Cruz is once again lying. This time, he's lying about our children," Allred says in the new ad. "I'm a father. I'm also a Christian."
Allred further clarified, "I don't want boys participating in girls' sports or any of this absurdity that Ted Cruz is promoting."
CNN reached out to Allred's campaign for further clarification but has yet to receive a response.
Furthermore, Cruz criticizes Allred for his evolution on the southern border issue. While campaigning for Congress in 2018, Allred described the border wall as "racist." Recently, Allred downplayed the border as a significant concern for many Texas voters, but stressed the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
Allred has since elevated the border to a prominent topic in his ads, vowing to address the issue and attacking Cruz for opposing a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year. Allred also voiced his support for condemning the "Biden administration's open-borders policies" in a GOP-led resolution.
On the campaign trail, where the border remains a winning issue for Republicans, Cruz has relentlessly accused Allred of inauthenticity regarding the border.
During an interview with CNN, Allred defended his position, acknowledging that Democrats took "too long to acknowledge the growing wave of migration."
"However, we can also say that the solution cannot be inhumane treatment and the mistaken belief that cruelty will resolve the issue," he said.
Meanwhile, Allred is putting pressure on Cruz regarding abortion, claiming that the senator is "accountable" for the repeal of Roe v. Wade due to his role in appointing judges and justices to federal courts, leading to the 2022 Supreme Court decision.
"With Ted Cruz, we get more government control and less personal liberty, and Texas women bear the consequences," the announcer says in one of Allred's ads.
Cruz has celebrated the Supreme Court decision as a significant triumph, yet he's been remarkably silent lately about his stance on Texas' reproductive rights laws, which lack safeguards for rape and incest victims. When asked by CNN why he didn't discuss abortion in his post-rally talk in Allen, Cruz defended his silence by stating it wasn't a major concern for Texas voters and refused to stray from the topic of employment and border security. In a separate meeting with reporters the following day, he reiterated that the issue was a matter for state officials to handle.
“Republicans for Allred”
Both candidates emphasize their ability to work across the aisle, but Allred is garnering support from prominent Republicans like former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney and former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, who leads the “Republicans for Allred” group.
Allred frequently mentions their endorsements, often referring to them more frequently than Vice President Kamala Harris. Asked by CNN about his strategy, Allred stated that Texas voters didn't view his race and the presidential race as interconnected.
"I do believe that there are Texas residents who are true conservatives and uphold the law, respect the Constitution, and oppose efforts to manipulate elections," he said.
Cruz dismisses Cheney's endorsement as absurd. "I've known Liz Cheney for a long time, and she's completely lost her bearings," he told CNN when questioned about her endorsement.
Allred’s attempts to establish himself as a moderate are among the key differences between his campaign and O’Rourke’s in 2018. While O’Rourke held large, enthusiastic rallies across the state, Allred has focused on smaller, more intimate events and invested heavily in television ads to boost his recognition. In the final stages, Allred is starting to host larger events to encourage voter turnout.
O’Rourke avoided attacking Cruz directly, but Allred is not holding back. Several of his ads feature footage of Cruz at the airport during his controversial trip to Cancun during the 2021 Texas blackout, which left the state immobilized for days. Cruz later admitted his trip was a mistake, but he has since joked about it.
At a recent event with the “Funky East Dallas Democrats,” Allred criticized Cruz's legislative intentions, making fun of his thrice-weekly podcast, implicating him in part for the January 6, 2021, insurrection, and lambasting him on abortion.
But in his final message, Allred urged the crowd to remember Cruz's Cancun luggage as they watched the election outcomes unfold on Election Day.
"Visualize Cruz carrying that same tiny suitcase and walking out of the Capitol," he said.
CNN’s David Wright contributed to this report.
In the heated election battle between Cruz and Allred, the controversies surrounding economy, borders, and transgender policies have become central issues. Cruz has heavily criticized Allred's stance on these topics, particularly his vote against a GOP-led bill regarding transgender athletes and his evolving position on the southern border issue.
Given this text, here are two sentences that contain the word 'politics': After the latest polls suggested a tightening race, national Democratic groups poured large sums into television ads, sparking hope among supporters that they could pull off an upset in the Texas Senate politics. Despite the opposing candidates both presenting themselves as dedicated legislators capable of working across the aisle, the ongoing ad wars in Texas politics have further marked the contrast between the long-established conservative force and the growing Democratic strongholds.
