Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announces Senate bid against Ted Cruz

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) released a video on Wednesday announcing his 2024 U.S. Senate bid in Texas.

The Dallas Democrat is currently the frontrunner on the Democratic side to challenge two-term Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who nearly lost his seat in 2018 when former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke came within three percentage points of victory.

Prior to his career as a politician, Allred played professional football and was a linebacker for the Tennessee Titans for four seasons. After he reached free agency in 2011, he enrolled in law school and received a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law in 2014. He worked as a voting rights litigator, and he was appointed to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by President Barack Obama in 2016.

Allred already has experience defeating Republicans in Texas. In 2018, Allred ran and successfully flipped a U.S. House seat for the Democrats when he defeated Pete Sessions (R) in Texas’ 32^nd Congressional district. During his time in Congress, Allred has sponsored an assault weapons ban. And in the announcement video, he highlighted his work on the CHIPS Act and a trade deal with Mexico. Those bills are meant to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and protect environmental provisions, respectively.

Meanwhile, once thought of as a logical presidential choice prior to the emergence of Donald Trump, Cruz will have to fight hard to keep his seat as the firebrand’s controversial opinions have not necessarily appealed to moderate voters. In the video, Allred criticized Cruz for his involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, as well as his questionable leadership when he took a trip to Cancun in 2021 while his constituents went without power during a severe winter storm.

Allred will be on the ballot next spring, when Texas holds its primary on March 5, 2024. If he can defeat his other Democratic challengers, Allred will advance to the general election that November.