What to know about the Texas Senate race between Ted Cruz and Colin Allred

The Texas race between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Collin Allred for a U.S. Senate seat is in its final stretch as Election Day approaches.

Cruz hopes to win a third term against Allred, who is from the Dallas area and would be the state's first Black senator if he wins the election.

Here are some key things to know about the competitive race in Texas, which hasn't had a Democratic senator since 1993, when Democratic Sen. Bob Krueger was appointed before Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was elected in June of that year. The last time Democrats were elected statewide in Texas was in 1994.

Who is Sen. Ted Cruz?

Cruz, 53, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2013 after making a name for himself as a Tea Party Star and winning the 2012 election. He ran for president in 2016 and was was the runner-up for the Republican nomination in that year's vote. Cruz was last on the ballot in 2018, when he only narrowly won reelection over Democrat Beto O'Rourke.

Recently, Cruz embarked on a 53-stop tour across Texas that has included stops in Tarrant County, where he lost to O'Rourke by just over 4,300 votes. This time, he has sought to cast his opponent, Allred, as being too liberal.

Watch CBS News Texas' interview with Sen. Ted Cruz:

Who is Rep. Colin Allred?

Allred, 41, is a former NFL linebacker who was first elected to the House in 2018 — when he was one of only two Democrats that year to flip U.S. House seats in Texas.

In January, Allred was one of 14 House Democrats who joined Republicans in a resolution denouncing "the Biden administration's open-borders policies."

In the 2024 race, Allred has waged an underdog campaign that has put abortion rights at the center.

Watch CBS News Texas' interview with Rep. Colin Allred:

Key campaign issues

In the only debate between Cruz and Allred, which was held in mid-October, the candidates debated abortion, transgender sports and border security.

Allred has blamed Cruz for Texas' near-total abortion ban , which does not permit exceptions in cases of incest or rape and went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

"Ted Cruz's abortion ban," Allred recently told CBS News Texas Eye on Politics in an interview. "He's uniquely responsible for this in a way that no other Texas leader, could claim to be, because he put the judges on the district court, sort of court and Supreme Court level to do this. He backed state legislators, knowing even often in primaries, knowing that they would put in place these laws. He called for and celebrated the Dobbs decision - that it was a massive victory ... I don't think it's been a massive victory for Texas women and families."

He further pressed the issue in the debate, saying, "All of a sudden, the defender of women and girls is going to be Senator Cruz, who thinks it's perfectly reasonable that if a girl is raped by a relative of hers, a victim of incest, that she should be forced to carry that child to term and give birth to it. You think that's perfectly reasonable but now you're going to set yourself up as a protector of women and girls. It's laughable. And listen, he's trying to distract you."

Cruz, who is anti-abortion, said in the debate that the specifics of the Texas law should be up to the Texas Legislature, adding: "I don't serve in the state Legislature. I'm not the governor."

"Congressman Allred has voted to tell you, a mother at home, you have no right to know if your daughter is getting an abortion," Cruz said. "That's an extreme position. And the overwhelming majority of Texans do not agree with Congressman Allred's extreme position against parental rights, against the rights of a mom and dad to be with their daughter in a challenging and horrific time."

On border security, Allred has criticized Cruz for helping to kill what was considered a bipartisan border security bill developed in the Senate. It would have tightened asylum laws, hired more border agents and brought in more technology. Cruz said he opposed it because it allowed too many migrants into the U.S. before shutting down the border and that he backed a House bill instead.

"Everyone knows my record on the border," Cruz said. "I've been the leading defender of securing the border for 12 years. I worked hand in hand with President Trump to secure the border, and we achieved incredible success. We achieved the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years ... [Allred] voted in favor of open borders over and over and over again... He calls the border wall 'that racist border wall.' He has pledged to personally tear down, quote, 'that racist border wall.'"

Cruz also criticized Allred over his support for transgender rights.

"You know what he argued for? Military bases should have drag shows and should be able to fly a transgender flag above it," Cruz said in the debate. "Look, call me old-fashioned but the only flag that should fly above our military bases is the American flag ...
There was a very simple bill. It was narrowly defined. It was protecting women in girls' sports. He voted no. The only issue on that bill was whether biological boys should compete against our daughters. That's not fair. Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. It's not fair for men to compete against women. "

"When Ted Cruz starts talking about team sports, you gotta watch out because the only position he played was left out," Allred said. "I'm not trying to be mean Senator, but you should sit this one out. Listen, I don't support boys playing girls' sports. I don't ... What I think is folks shouldn't be discriminated against."

Texas Senate race polls

The race is competitive. The latest four polls listed in the Real Clear Politics average show Cruz leading Allred by about 4.8 percentage points. And the respected Cook Political Report has shifted the race from "Likely R" to "Lean R" — meaning the race is now considered competitive, although one party has an advantage.

A University of Houston survey released Oct. 18 showed that Cruz was leading Allred by four percentage points — up from a 2 percentage point lead in August. Three percent were undecided and 1% said they intended to vote for Libertarian Ted Brown.

Allred has raised more money than Cruz. According to the FEC, Allred raised nearly $68.8 million from April 1 last year through Sept. 30 of this year, while Cruz raised more than $43.3 million between Jan. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30 this year.