Senator Ted Cruz (R-FL) has defeated challenger Congresswoman Colin Allred (D-TX), retaining his seat in the upper chamber for the second time. Sen. Cruz has yet to lose an election in his political career, which is impressive considering all of his races have been statewide.
And while the polls tightened, his sizable lead was enough to get him over the finish line (somewhat) comfortably.
Sen. Cruz had a seven-point lead, according to the final poll from AtlasIntel, one of the most accurate pollsters of the 2020 election. The smallest lead for Cruz in the November polls is three points from Morning Consult.
Former President Donald Trump (R) was also comfortable heading into Election Day with a 7.6-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the final FiveThirtyEight average. This polling appeared to be on par with the polling in comparison to Sen. Cruz.
Race History
In recent advertisements, Rep. Allred attacked Cruz for voting against the bipartisan border bill that was shot down by Republicans earlier this year. The deal would’ve allowed an influx of illegal immigrants into the country through the southern border but provided $20.23 billion for “operational needs and capabilities” as well as resources for the new border policies, according to CNN.
The right side of the aisle did not like the negotiated bill, as some GOP members declared that it would make the situation at the southern border worse.
Rep. Allred moved toward the center following VP Harris’ strategy, as she was keen on border security in the latter half of her campaign. Axios stated that VP Harris has pledged to “spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the wall” despite her opposition to it for years.
According to a September Fox News report, Rep. Allred told event attendees in 2018, “If they build that racist wall, my generation is the one that will tear it down. You’re not going to have a wall in this country.”
Moreover, in May of 2023, Allred opposed the Secure the Border Act – also known as H.R. 2. This bill passed in the House by a 219-213 vote without support from a Democrat representative.
Just before Election Day, Allred received support from billionaire Texas businessman Mark Cuban, who was a staunch advocate for Vice President Kamala Harris (D) this election cycle.
In a video posted on social media by Rep. Allred’s campaign, Cuban shared that he had already voted for the Texas representative and wished him good luck.
Welcome to Team Allred, @mcuban! pic.twitter.com/5l1bvFmNBM
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) November 1, 2024
Sen. Cruz’s campaign responded to Cuban’s support of Rep. Allred, mentioning the billionaire’s comment in which he claimed that former President Trump refuses have “strong, intelligent women” around him.
Texas Election History
Lone Star State politics have experienced a notable shift in the last few election cycles. While the Texas has been historically red, the state has consistently moved into purple territory in the last few statewide races.
In 2016, former President Donald Trump (R) carried the state by nine points. In 2018, Sen. Cruz narrowly escaped a challenge from Beto O'Rourke by 2.5 points (215,000 votes). Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) did not suffer from the close Senate race that cycle, as he won by 13 points.
In 2020, there were rumblings that an incredibly strong performance in the Sunbelt from Joe Biden (D) could see Texas flip, killing Republicans chances before they even started. However, despite Biden winning Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, Trump ended up winning Texas by 5.6 points.
Texas Republicans have fended off Democrats in a statewide election once again.
