Allred tries 2nd time for Dem victory in Texas Senate race

• Allred, a former NFL player and civil rights attorney, lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last year by almost 9 points. He served three terms in the U.S. House after being elected in 2018.
• Allred's 2024 campaign was a fundraising powerhouse, raising nearly $95 million.

The big picture: Republicans are already in the throes of a bitter primary for the Texas Senate seat, with state Attorney General Ken Paxton challenging four-term Sen. John Cornyn.

• Democrats are hopeful that a divisive Republican primary will boost their chances of winning the seat.
• But a Democrat hasn't won a statewide election in Texas since 1994. Allred, despite his eye-popping fundraising numbers, lost last year's race by nearly 1 million votes.
• North Carolina and Maine remain the Democrats' best 2026 chances at flipping a Senate seat, followed by Texas, Florida and Ohio.

What they're saying: "I'm announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate to lower costs and stop corrupt politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton from rigging the economy against hard-working Texans," Allred said in his campaign launch video.