Cruz, Allred spar in only debate of Senate race
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Ted Cruz and Colin Allred called each other too extreme for Texas on Tuesday in a fiery debate in Dallas, their only planned meeting ahead of the November election.
Why it matters: Cruz, a Republican seeking his third Senate term, said Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas, was a threat to the Texas oil and gas industry and "voted for open borders over and over again."
- Allred said Cruz has been one of the most divisive and least productive senators, and a "threat to democracy."
State of play: Cruz tied Allred to the top of the Democratic ticket: "Understand this at home: Colin Allred is Kamala Harris," Cruz said.
- Allred needled Cruz for flying to Cancún, Mexico, during the deadly 2021 Texas freeze: "He talks tough, but he never shows up. We have a phrase for this in Texas: All hat and no cattle. Six more years of this? Come on."
Context: Allred appealed to moderate voters by touting his bipartisan credentials, saying over 70% of the bills he's cosponsored have been bipartisan.
- Cruz countered that Allred "voted 100% of the time with Nancy Pelosi."
Zoom in: A Republican group is backing Allred as part of his campaign's effort to reach independent and moderate voters.
- Former state Rep. Jason Villalba, of Dallas, is co-chairing the coalition with former Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is a vocal Trump critic.
State of play: Recent polls have found Cruz running between 3 and 5 percentage points ahead of Allred — in some cases within the margin of error.
- Reflecting polling shifts, the Cook Political Report at the beginning of October rated the race as "lean Republican," after previously grading it as "likely Republican."
- National Democrats, sensing the Democratic Senate seat in Montana slipping away, have poured resources into Texas in a political Hail Mary to win the state.
Reality check: No Democrat has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
What's next: Early voting begins Monday.