Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker, voting rights attorney and Democrat representing the NE Dallas suburbs plans to announce his campaign for the United States Senate for the seat currently held by incumbent Senator Ted Cruz (Texas).
Allred, who was first elected to Congress in 2008, was reported by both the Texas Tribune and Politico to be considering running in the Senate election against Cruz. Last week, Jacob Rubashkin, an Inside Elections reporter also stated that Allred’s website was being redesigned which could potentially signal that the Congressman was preparing to make the announcement soon.
Allred, who is a rising star within the Democratic Party would have to win against long-term GOP incumbent Cruz, who is popular among conservatives and was the runner-up in the 2016 Republican primary. Texas is also a red state that has not had a Democrat elected statewide in close to three decades. Still, in 2018, Beto O’Rouke was three percentage points away from defeating Cruz.
Allred first won his seat in 2018 by defeating Rep. Sessions, a NRCC and a former House Rules Committee chairman, who following his loss relocated and got elected again in a different district.
Allred, who was endorsed by AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Congress, managed to win his re-election twice following the 2020 redistricting in Texas. During his time in office, he has focused on establishing himself as a moderate, while also working on multiple infrastructure projects and the construction of VA medical facilities in Texas.
According to federal records, he currently has $2.2 million in his fund for a Senate campaign, whereas Cruz still has $3.3 million in his campaign chest.
