Trump-backed Sen. Ted Cruz defeats Texas Democrat Colin Allred
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Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz held off Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred to win a third term in the U.S. Senate, per AP.
Why it matters: Cruz's victory preserves a 30-year winning streak for statewide Republican candidates in Texas.
Zoom in: While Democrats poured cash into the long-shot Senate races in the month leading up to the election, Cruz raised plenty of money and shored up his support among his base.
- As of mid-October, more than $130 million had been spent on the general election by both sides, according to political ad tracker AdImpact.
State of play: Allred, a congressman from Dallas, sought to appeal to moderate voters turned off by Cruz's often hardline stances.
- But an average of polling showed Cruz a few points ahead of Allred leading up to the election.
The big picture: The race turned into a microcosm of the presidential race. Allred claimed Cruz was a threat to democracy. And Cruz likened Allred to the top of the Democratic ticket.
- Cruz ran on a platform that mirrored Republican and Trump policies, including a stronger border and "traditional values." He attacked Allred on immigration policy as well as transgender youth sports access.
- Allred, meanwhile, touted his bipartisan credentials. He said he supports LGBTQ rights and pointed out that he voted for a border deal that ultimately failed in the Senate, where Cruz and other Republicans blocked it.
Flashback: Cruz held off another well-funded challenger in 2018, when he beat then-Rep. Beto O'Rourke by about 200,000 votes.
Between the lines: Cruz, who has been vocal about his anti-abortion stances, largely went silent on abortion as his lead narrowed in the month leading up to Election Day.
- During his only debate with Allred, he avoided answering whether he would support the right to an abortion in cases of rape and incest.
