Texas Democrat Colin Allred, a former NFL player who served three terms in the House, is once again seeking to test the political competitiveness of the longtime Republican stronghold.
Allred announced Tuesday that he’s running for Senate in Texas for the second straight cycle, this time for the seat held by Republican John Cornyn. In 2024, Allred challenged the state’s junior senator, Republican Ted Cruz, losing by more than 8 points.
In his launch video, Allred leaned heavily on his biography as the son of a single mother who made it to the NFL and made an appeal to voters who are struggling.
“Everything’s backwards. Folks who play by the rules and keep the faith just can’t seem to get ahead. But the folks who cut corners and cut deals, they’re doing just fine,” he said.
The battle for the Senate seat in Texas is expected to be one of the nation’s most expensive and intensely fought contests. Cornyn faces a primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race that’s already become bitter and personal. Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt has signaled that he is considering a run as well.
Recent polls have shown Paxton with a comfortable edge over Cornyn, who was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and, as the incumbent, has the support of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm. President Donald Trump, whose endorsement could be crucial in a GOP primary, has yet to weigh in on the race.
“They’re both friends of mine. I like them both. In a way, I wish they weren’t running against each other,” Trump told reporters in April. “They’re both good people, so I’ll make a decision somewhere along the line.”
On the Democratic side, former astronaut Terry Virts is running. Others, including Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, may enter the race as well. O’Rourke was the Democratic nominee in 2018, losing to Cruz by a less-than-3-point margin. He since made an unsuccessful run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and lost a 2022 bid for governor to Republican incumbent Greg Abbott by 11 points.
Democrats, who haven’t won a Senate election in Texas since 1988, face an unfavorable map next year in the fight for control of the chamber, where Republicans currently hold 53 seats.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales currently rates just two GOP-held seats as battlegrounds, with the Texas race rated Solid Republican.
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