JORDANTON, Texas (AP) — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred are busy moving across Texas as the nation’s most expensive and high-profile Senate session draws to a close. , is making its final pitch to Texas voters. race.
Mr. Cruz, who narrowly won a second term in 2018 and is once again facing a tough race, spoke out against tougher border measures and policies supporting transgender people, including at a bus tour rally outside San Antonio on Tuesday. leaning toward conservative pledges that call for attacks on
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Allred, Texas’ first black senator, will be based in Houston, the state’s largest city and a key Democratic stronghold for weaker senators who will need a big push from loyal Democrats to unseat the incumbent. I spent a day touring the area. At a rally at Texas Southern University, a historically black university, the three-term congressman emphasized his support for abortion rights and restricting women’s access to reproductive health care. Mr. Cruz was criticized for this.
political issue
Statewide elections in Texas have been out of reach for Democrats for decades, but recent signs that the race may heat up suggest 2024 may finally be the year. Some people think that there is. It’s an ambitious goal, but it’s one of the few chances for Democrats, who hold twice as many Senate seats nationwide as Republicans.
Bertil Binion and Linda Terry cheer as Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred takes to the stage during a voting rally at Texas Southern University in Houston, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. . (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)(Annie Mulligan/AP)
A surprise victory in Texas would dramatically improve the party’s chances of maintaining a slim Senate majority.
Together, both candidates raised more than $160 million for their campaigns.
Last week, Democrats supporting Allred announced a $5 million ad campaign on women’s reproductive freedom.
During a stop in Houston, Allred urged voters to look past divisive politics and look to leaders who can get things done.
“I don’t spend my time throwing bombs,” he said. “I work hard not because bipartisan cooperation is the end goal, but because that’s how we get things done.”
At a rally in Jordanton, a rural South Texas town about 400 miles to the west, Mr. Cruz presented himself as a viable candidate.
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“This is no longer a battle between Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “This is a battle between sanity and insanity.”
On a warm October afternoon, Cruz supporters wear “Make America Great Again” hats and wave signs with Mr. Cruz’s “Save Texas, Texas” slogan inside a warehouse in Jourdanton. Dust swirled around it. Mr. Cruz stood in the back of a pickup truck and spoke for about 40 minutes, arguing that the race was a battle between tradition and change.
The Senate race is attracting the most attention and money in Texas, where Allred, a three-term representative from Dallas, could unseat Cruz and do what Democrats have not done in the past 30 years: win the national is aiming to win a statewide election in the second most populous state. state. Cruz is trying to connect Allred with Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, LGBTQ+ issues and the economy.
In a state with some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, Mr. Cruz has largely avoided the topic.
Cruz narrowly defeated Beto O’Rourke in his last re-election campaign in 2018, and Democrats see the Senate race as an opportunity to take advantage of Texas’ changing demographics and relatively unpopular incumbent.
Supporters cheer on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during a campaign rally in Jourdanton, Texas, Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)(Eric Gay/AP)
Sarah Britzke, a former teacher from near La Vernia, said she didn’t expect Mr. Cruz to lose. “You’d be surprised,” she said.
“I have nothing against him,” Scott Smith said of Allred. Still, Smith said he believes Cruz has stronger economic and immigration policies.
Allred has tried to win over moderate voters with a low-profile campaign focused on reproductive health, but the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling stripping away federal protections for abortion remains unpopular with most Americans and is a winning issue for Democrats.
On Tuesday night in Houston, Allred repeatedly attacked Cruz, who is heading on a 2021 trip to Mexico amid a deadly winter storm that left millions without power. The uproar in Texas’ largest city came days after Mr. Allred joined Mr. Harris and Mr. Beyoncé at a Friday night rally, the vice president’s first and only visit to the state. The former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney said he kept Harris at arm’s length for much of the campaign and was focused on his campaign.
He spoke to a half-full audience of about 300 people who worked to shore up support among black voters, a historically strong Democratic voting bloc. Mr. Allred has de-emphasized large rallies during his campaign, frustrating some Democrats early in the campaign, but increased the number of miles he travels toward the end.
“Everything is big in Texas except the senator. He’s too small for our state. His vision for us is too small,” Allred said.
Allred was joined at Tuesday’s rally by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who told the crowd that Allred will continue to fight for student debt relief and women’s reproductive rights. Allred said he will continue his efforts to be a senator for all Texans and work with Republicans across the aisle.
Kameryn Joseph, 27, said she would vote for Allred because the congresswoman supports women’s reproductive rights.
“That means a lot to me,” he said. “So we’re hearing stories of women having to watch their children die, or women having to experience complications themselves.”
Joseph, who works for Protest, Organize, Participate, a Houston-based nonprofit that engages young people in politics, said he has knocked on doors and talked to people and found that many are interested in Senate races and change. He said he thought he was aware of the possibilities.
“I feel like it’s going to be Texas blue this year, I really feel that way,” Joseph said. “I feel like the average Texan wants Colin Allred. You know, they’re ready for Cruz to leave.”
