Texas Senate race hot-button topics
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U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and Sen. Ted Cruz debated on WFAA in Dallas. Screen grab: WFAA
Early voting begins today in Texas, and Democrats might have a chance to flip Texas in at least one statewide race for the first time in decades.
The big picture: Polling numbers have shown the U.S. Senate race tightening in Texas, and Democrats have infused cash into the state.
Context: Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican former Texas solicitor general, is seeking his third term. He narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke in 2018.
- His race against Democratic congressman Colin Allred of Dallas might be even closer. The former NFL player, now a civil rights attorney, is a fundraising juggernaut.
- Allred's campaign reported raising $1 million in the hours after the candidates faced off in a fiery debate last week.
Yes, but: Cruz is better known than Allred, even if the challenger has gained more national media attention in recent months.
- Nearly one-fifth of registered Democratic voters had no opinion or were neutral on Allred, according to a recent poll conducted by the Texas Politics Project at UT-Austin.
State of play: Allred and Cruz share a campaign strategy: They're both trying to paint themselves as moderate ahead of Election Day.
- The Texas Politics Project poll of 1,200 registered voters found that 9% believe Cruz's political ideology is "in the middle," compared with a quarter of voters who said the same about Allred.
- 44% of voters labeled Cruz "extremely conservative." 26% of voters labeled Allred "extremely liberal."
Here's a look at some of their positions:
Border: Cruz and Allred sparred over immigration policies, with Cruz claiming Allred has voted against securing the border.
- But Allred voted for a border deal that ultimately failed in the Senate, when Cruz and other Republicans blocked it. Allred has also been critical of the Biden administration's border policies.
Bill writing: Cruz painted Allred as inexperienced and pointed to his own legislative experience, saying he "authored and passed 101 different pieces of legislation."
- Over his almost 12-year career in the Senate, Cruz has sponsored four and co-sponsored 70 pieces of legislation that passed both chambers, per a KHOU fact check. Over nearly six years, Allred has sponsored one and co-sponsored 51 pieces of legislation that passed.
Economy: Allred criticized Cruz's opposition to certain economic bills, including an August tax relief bill that would've given families a child tax credit. The measure passed the House but failed in the Senate, where Cruz voted no.
- Cruz claimed illegal immigration is driving up inflation, but a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas analysis found that the immigration wave has had little effect on inflation.
LGBTQ+ issues: Cruz's campaign ads have attacked Allred's support for transgender rights, claiming the congressman wants men playing in women's sports.
- Allred opposed a Republican bill, titled the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023. And he co-sponsored legislation that became known as a Transgender Bill of Rights. Neither became law.
Abortion: Cruz has avoided discussing abortion on the campaign trail and refused to answer whether he would support an abortion exception for rape and incest after repeated questioning by debate moderators.
- Allred said he supports Roe v. Wade protections and hammered Cruz over his support of handing the issue over to the states.