Cruz, Allred tout crossover appeal to win US Senate matchup
Texas primary voters set up a general election matchup between Ted Cruz and Colin Allred later this year, and early messaging from the two candidates vying for the state's U.S. Senate seat seems to focus on who has more bipartisan appeal than the other.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas primary voters set up a general election matchup between Ted Cruz and Colin Allred later this year, and early messaging from the two candidates vying for the state's U.S. Senate seat seems to focus on who has more bipartisan appeal than the other.
Allred, the Dallas Congressman, told a crowd of supporters during his victory speech Tuesday night that his record could draw in more than just Democratic voters to support his bid to unseat Cruz.
"I'm proud of being the most bipartisan member of the Texas delegation, not because bipartisanship in and of itself is the goal, but because getting things done is the goal," Allred said.
His remarks still had some jabs at Cruz, such as his trip to Cancún during the 2021 winter storm and his recent opposition to the border legislation negotiated in the Senate. However, the firebrand Republican rolled out a new digital ad Wednesday touting his abilities to draw crossover voters.
The video features several self-admitted Democratic voters who share why they're now supporting Cruz. It's part of an effort his campaign is calling the Democrats for Cruz Coalition.
"The National Democratic Party has abandoned Texans," a statement from the Cruz campaign read. "They've abandoned our brave men and women in law enforcement. They've abandoned South Texans as they deal with a historic border crisis. They've abandoned the oil and gas industry for a radical climate agenda. They've abandoned small businesses by crushing them with skyrocketing inflation. They've abandoned parents for a woke ideology."
Polling released ahead of the primary elections by the University of Texas and the Texas Politics Project showed how some voters felt about a potential matchup between Allred and Cruz. Those results showed the Republican leading by six percentage points (46% Cruz, 32% Allred), while nine percent of the respondents said they had yet to make up their minds.