Exclusive: Texas Senate hopeful Colin Allred unveils anti-corruption plan

• Allred's proposal to "clean up Washington" is a 12-point anti-corruption plan that includes other populist priorities like ending gerrymandering, barring corporate PACs and a lifetime lobbying ban for lawmakers.
• The former congressman has personally pledged to refrain from trading individual stocks, to refuse corporate PAC money and to adhere to a lifetime lobbying ban.
• "Texans are paying more every day because politicians in Washington are looking out for themselves instead of us," Allred said in a statement to Axios.

The big picture: Allred's plan argues that special interests drive up prices for Texas families, pointing to drug costs and tax carveouts as examples of corruption.

• "Corruption isn't abstract — it costs Texans money, and shows up in their lives every day," the plan says.
• A handful of proposals included in Allred's plan, including a stock trading ban and ending corporate PACs, have been introduced in Congress but have stalled along the way.

Between the lines: The anti-corruption platform is also a jab from Allred at the GOP side of the Senate contest, which includes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has faced corruption allegations throughout his career.

• Paxton in 2023 was acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment by the Texas state Senate. The articles alleged bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duty.
• Paxton last year agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges.
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), in the early stages of a bitter primary battle against Paxton, is also making anti-corruption measures a key part of his campaign.