JOURDANTON, Texas – Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred are making their final pitches to Texas voters in a frenzied burst of travel across the state near the end of one of the nation's most expensive and closely watched Senate races.
Cruz, who finds himself in another competitive contest after narrowly winning a second term in 2018, is leaning into conservative pledges for tougher border measures and attacks on policies that support transgender people, including at a bus tour rally outside of San Antonio on Tuesday.
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Allred, who would become Texas' first Black senator, spent a day criss-crossing Houston, the state's biggest city and a crucial Democratic stronghold for the underdog congressman, who needs a big showing from loyal Democrats to unseat the incumbent. At a rally at Texas Southern University, a historically Black college, the three-term congressman emphasized his support for abortion rights and blamed Cruz for limiting women's access to reproductive healthcare.
Statewide races in Texas have been out of reach for Democrats for decades, but recent signs that the race might be tightening have led some to think 2024 might finally be the year. It’s an ambitious target but one of the few pickup opportunities for Democrats in a year when they are defending twice as many Senate seats as Republicans nationally.
A surprise win in Texas would dramatically boost their chances of maintaining their narrow Senate majority.
Both candidates combined have raised more than $160 million in the race.
Last week, Democrats backing Allred announced a $5 million ad campaign on reproductive freedom for women.
At one of his stops in Houston, Allred asked voters to turn the page on divisive politics and look to leaders who can accomplish something.
“I don’t spend my time throwing bombs," he said. “I work hard not because bipartisanship is the end goal, because that’s how you get things done.”
Some 250 miles (402 kilometers) to the west, at a rally in the rural South Texas town of Jourdanton, Cruz cast himself as the reasonable candidate.
“This is no longer a battle between Republicans and Democrats," he said. "This is a battle between sane and crazy.”
Dust swirled in and around a warehouse in Jourdanton on a warm October afternoon as supporters for Cruz donned “Make America Great Again” hats and waved signs bearing Cruz's “Keep Texas, Texas” slogan. Cruz stood on the bed of a pickup truck and gave a nearly 40-minute speech, casting the race as a battle between tradition and change.
The Senate race has drawn the most attention and money in Texas, as Allred, a three-term congressman from Dallas, seeks to unseat Cruz and do what no Democrat has done in 30 years: win a statewide election in the nation's second-most populous state. Cruz has looked to tie Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, LGBTQ+ issues and the economy.
In a state with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, Cruz has largely avoided the subject.
Cruz narrowly defeated Beto O’Rourke in 2018 in his last reelection campaign and Democrats view the Senate race as an opportunity to take advantage of Texas’ shifting demographics and a relatively unpopular incumbent.
Sarah Brietzke, a retired teacher from nearby La Vernia, said she doesn't expect Cruz to lose. “I would be surprised,” she said.
“I have nothing against the guy,” Scott Smith said about Allred. Still, Smith said he believes Cruz has stronger economic and immigration policies.
Allred has attempted to capture moderate voters by running a lower-profile campaign focused on reproductive care, a winning issue for Democrats where the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to strip federal protections for abortion remains unpopular with most Americans.
On Tuesday night in Houston, Allred repeatedly attacked Cruz for his 2021 trip to Mexico during a deadly winter storm that left millions without power. The swing through Texas' largest city came just days after Allred joined Harris and Beyoncé at a rally Friday night, the vice president's first and only stop in Texas. For most of his race, the former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney has kept Harris at arm's length, saying he's focused on his own campaign.
He spoke to a half-full auditorium of about 300 people where he worked to shore up support among Black voters, a historically strong voting bloc for Democrats. Allred hasn't emphasized big rallies in his campaign, which frustrated some Democrats early on in his race, although he has increased his travel down the stretch.
“Everything is bigger in Texas except for our senator. He’s too small for our state. His vision for us is too small,” Allred said.
Allred was joined at Tuesday’s rally by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who told the crowd that Allred would continue fighting for student debt relief and for women’s reproductive rights. Allred said he would be a senator for all Texans and continue his efforts to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans.
Kamerin Joseph, 27, said he is voting for Allred because of the congressman’s support of women’s reproductive rights.
“That is a very big one for me," he said. “I mean, you hear about those stories of women having to watch their children die and women having to go through complications themselves.”
Joseph, who works for Protest, Organize, Participate, a Houston-based nonprofit that engages young people in politics, said that after knocking on doors and talking to people, he thinks many are aware of the Senate race and the potential for change.
“I really feel like we’re going to turn Texas blue this year. I genuinely feel that,” Joseph said. “I feel like your average, everyday Texan wants Colin Allred. You know, they’re ready for Cruz to go.”
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Lozano reported from Houston. ___
Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.