#TEGNA | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dankusner · 1 month ago

Text

Cruz, Allred duel in their sole debate

ELECTIONS ’24 U.S. SENATE

Heated matchup pitted candidates on abortion, immigration, inflation

Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred came out swinging in their Tuesday night debate, each portraying their opponent as too extreme to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Allred began by introducing himself as a fourth-generation Texan with a bipartisan record in Congress before attacking Cruz as divisive and “the most extreme senator” in Washington.

“I’m the exact opposite of Sen. Cruz,” said Allred, who also criticized Cruz for vacationing in Cancun during deadly 2021 blackouts in Texas.

“The truth is, we don’t have to be embarrassed by our senator. We can get a new one.”

Cruz urged voters to listen for the difference between Allred’s words and actions and promised to expose his opponent’s “radical” record, saying Allred would seek to obscure it.

“We’re doing an awful lot right in the state of Texas,” Cruz said.

“Colin Allred wants to change that. I want to keep Texas, Texas.”

In a fast-paced back and forth on abortion, immigration, inflation and other hot-button issues, the candidates sought to portray themselves as aligned with Texas values and their opponent as dangerous and out of touch

. Tuesday’s one-hour debate, held at WFAA’s downtown Dallas studio without an audience, came as recent polls show Allred, a congressman from Dallas, making significant gains on Cruz.

Even so, most political handicappers give Cruz the edge three weeks ahead of the Nov. 5 election, and a University of Houston survey released Tuesday showed Cruz leading Allred 50-46.

The debate, aired live on WFAA-TV (Channel 8) and other TEGNA stations across the state, was moderated by Jason Whitely, WFAA’s senior political reporter, and Gromer Jeffers Jr., The Dallas Morning News ’ political writer.

youtube

Abortion

The first question probed the candidates’ thoughts on abortion, specifically whether Cruz supports exceptions for rape and incest.

Cruz avoided addressing his position on those specific exceptions, instead saying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade returned regulations to the control of the states.

youtube

He objected to Allred blaming him for Texas’ near-total abortion ban, saying those policy decisions were up to state lawmakers.

“You wouldn’t expect Texas’ laws to be the same as California,” Cruz said. “You wouldn’t expect Alabama to be the same as New York.”

Allred has put abortion at the center of his campaign, highlighting cases of Texas women whose health was endangered when they were denied access to the procedure despite pregnancy complications.

He pledged to restore the protections of Roe and objected to Cruz calling himself “pro-life.”

It’s not pro-life, Allred said, to deny medical care needed to protect health or fertility or to force a woman to carry her rapist’s baby.

“That’s not pro-life, senator,” Allred said.

“So, to every Texas woman at home and every Texas family watching this, understand that, when Ted Cruz says he’s pro-life, he doesn’t mean yours.”

Cruz said Allred supports federal legislation that would wipe out Texas laws with broad support, such as parental notification requirements.

Immigration

Asked about immigration issues, Allred declined to address his evolution on policy after formerly calling a border wall racist and vowing during his 2018 campaign to tear down the wall.

He instead accused Cruz of doing “worse than nothing” in the Senate by opposing a bipartisan border deal this year.

Cruz said Allred has voted against a border wall three times and tied him to the top of the Democratic ticket.

“Colin Allred is Kamala Harris,” he said.

“Their records are the same.”

Asked if he supports Donald Trump’s stated plan to pardon Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol, Cruz said anyone who committed violent acts should be prosecuted, then pivoted to attacking Allred on crime.

“Congressman Allred is happy to talk about those who committed acts of violence on Jan. 6, but you don’t hear him talking about the antifa and Black Lives Matter riots that burned cities across this country,” Cruz said.

Allred said Cruz was “hiding in a supply closet” when the mob attacked the Capitol and criticized the senator for objecting to certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

“You can’t be for the mob on Jan. 6 and for the officers” who were attacked, Allred said, looking at Cruz, who smiled. “You can’t. And it’s not funny, because you’re a threat to democracy.”

Ted Cruz-Colin Allred debate: Candidates spar in closely watched Texas race for US Senate

The pleasantries were short-lived in a Tuesday night debate between two-term Republican Sen.

Ted Cruz and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred as they met face-to-face at WFAA studios in Dallas for their only scheduled debate this election cycle.

The candidates are in a tight race for the U.S. Senate, with polls showing single-digit margins.

The contest is getting national attention — and drawing in tens of millions of dollars — as Democrats in Washington grapple to retain their razor-thin majority in the upper chamber.

The breakneck one-hour debate touched on everything from the border, inflation and abortion access to foreign policy and transgender students’ participation in sports.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher for either candidate:

Allred is still trying to introduce himself to Texans just days before early voting begins, while Cruz sought to cast his opponent as a radical whose victory Nov. 5 would lead to a cascade of blue across the state.

Throughout it all, Cruz repeatedly tried to link Allred to the Biden-Harris administration and attack the congressman on his voting record, saying viewers should go to his campaign’s online fact-checker.

Allred attempted to portray Cruz as ineffective in the Senate and someone who tried to look tough when visiting the Texas border.

At one point, he described Cruz as “all hat and no cattle.”

He accused Cruz of lying to Texans and circled back multiple times to the idea that Texas should move on from the incumbent senator.

On the topic of Jan. 6, 2021, Cruz said Allred voted to “defund the police” while Allred called Cruz “a threat to democracy” for his actions on that day.

When the moderators asked about inflation, Allred brought up the child tax credit, said he’d “cut tax for the middle class” and make housing more affordable.

He also blamed supply chain issues from the pandemic.

Cruz said Trump’s tax credits led to “real results” during his term and accused the Biden administration of undermining Texas farmers and ranchers and waging a “war” on the Texan oil and gas industry.

Here are some key takeaways from the Tuesday, Oct. 15 debate. Cruz, Allred outline how they want voters to see them

The candidates introductions were brief – and they wasted no time going on the attack – but the themes introduced in the candidates opening remarks appeared time and time again throughout the debate.

Allred spoke to his upbringing as a fourth-generation Texan raised by a single mother.

He recalled his rise to becoming a NFL player and then a U.S. representative before touting his bipartisanship.

“I’m the exact opposite of Sen. Cruz,” Allred said, calling his opponent the most “extreme” senator in Congress.

Cruz is focused on himself, Allred said, recalling the senator’s trip to Cancun during the February 2021 winter storm.

Cruz highlighted his upbringing as a child of a Cuban migrant who came to the states penniless and called it incredible that both he and Allred have the opportunity to represent Texans in Washington.

Then called on viewers to listen to the difference between words and action – a point he made throughout the debate, including when talking about abortion and border security, the first two topics up for discussion Tuesday.

“Colin Allred is going to try to say an awful lot of words that sound reasonable, but what he’s not going to talk about is his own record or my record,” Cruz said.

Cruz skirts question on abortion exceptions

Cruz was asked about exceptions for abortions in cases of rape and incest early in the debate, but didn’t directly answer the question after repeated questions from the moderators.

He repeatedly returned to the idea that the issue was up to state legislatures.

Texas’ abortion law is among the strictest in the nation.

It bans nearly all abortions without exceptions for rape and incest.

There are exceptions for medical emergencies, but there’s been a push for clarity on what that means and when an abortion can be performed.

Cruz has expressed opposition to a national abortion ban on the campaign trail, advocating that abortion policy should be left to the individual states.

In 2021 however, he introduced a federal bill in 2021 with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham — the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act — proposing making it a crime to perform an abortion 20 weeks or more after fertilization.

“What the law should be in Texas — that’s a decision that will be made by the state legislature,” Cruz said.

“Congressman Allred is running all sorts of ads saying saying that I made this decision. I don’t serve in the state legislature. I’m not the governor. The folks that make the laws here of the state legislature, the governor. He knows that.”

Allred called for the standards under Roe v. Wade to be the “law of the land again.”

Allred has made abortion access a campaign center point, including in a new ad Tuesday that features Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman who had to leave the state to get an abortion during a high-risk pregnancy.

“Ted Cruz says this abortion ban is ‘perfectly reasonable,’” Cox says in the ad.

“There’s nothing reasonable about what my family went through.”

Does Allred support a border wall?

A moderator asked Allred about his position on a border wall, citing differing stances Allred has held, calling it “racist” at one point and the later supporting President Joe Biden’s border wall plan.

Allred pivoted, criticizing Cruz for “doing nothing to help” and turning the subject to Cruz’s trip to Cauncun, Mexico, and Jan. 6, before saying he supports “physical barriers as part of a comprehensive strategy to secure the border.”

When it was his turn to talk, Cruz said Allred has voted against a border wall multiple times before tying Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Understand at home, Collin Allred is Kamala Harris,” Cruz said.

“Their records are the same,” adding that both support “open borders.”

Candidates clash on transgender athletes

Back-to-back ads in the minutes before the debate signaled what would be another hot-button issue for the candidates.

Cruz released an ad about transgender athletes playing sports on teams that align with their gender identity— the latest in a series of ads on the subject from both candidates.

Tuesday’s ad was responding to one from Allred where the congressman said he doesn’t want “girls playing boys sports,” also airing before the debate.

Cruz’s ad accuses Allred of lying about his position, pointing to votes in Congress including Allred’s vote against a bill that would have generally prohibited “school athletic programs from allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate in programs that are for women or girls.”

When the back-and-forth played out on the debate stage, Allred said Cruz is trying to distract from the issues.

“You don’t have to be a former NFL linebacker to recognize a Hail Mary when you see one,” Allred said.

“This is a desperate, last second attempt by Sen. Cruz to distract you because he can’t defend his own record. Listen, I’m a dad. I’m a Christian. Of course I don’t support this ridiculous thing that he’s talking about. “

Cruz rebutted:

“Once again, in that answer, he said not a word about his own record,” and likened him to Harris.

Cruz, Allred Spar Over the Border, Abortion, and Biological Men in Women’s Sports in Lone Senate Debate

The first and only U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX-32) featured clashes over the classic hits of the economy, border security, and the direction of Washington, D.C. along with a side of two top wedge issues.

The top issue for Texans in every poll is the border, and Allred was asked about his 2018 run comments about former President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall being “racist.”

He responded that his contention is that “we shouldn’t demonize” when talking about the issue, and that, “I believe in physical barriers as part of a comprehensive strategy for border security.”

Cruz hit back, “If you believe border security matters, he believes you are racist. He's voted against the border wall three times. Every time there's a serious measure on the border wall in the House, Allred has voted no.”

Allred swung at Cruz for voting against the bipartisan border bill earlier this year that was negotiated in the Senate, but was blocked by a group of Republicans including Cruz.

Cruz has called that bill an unserious proposal, instead touting House Republicans’ plan last year that Allred voted against and the Democratic Senate smothered.

Cruz and Allred also sparred over abortion.

The incumbent stated, “It's an issue where people can genuinely disagree.

I agree with the U.S. Supreme Court where we can allow the question to be settled at the ballot box.

In Texas, we overwhelmingly agree that parents should be notified before their child gets an abortion… and [that] tax dollars shouldn't be used for it.”

Allred hit back, “You should look into the camera and explain to Kate Cox why it's perfectly reasonable to force her to flee the state [to obtain an abortion].”

Allred released a new television spot on Tuesday featuring Cox, a Texas mother who sued the state over its abortion restrictions and then fled the state to obtain an abortion.

Cox’s ad, along with all the others on air, describe Texas’ pro-life laws as “Ted Cruz’s abortion ban.”

Abortion has long been Allred’s and the Democrats’ top wedge issue, particularly in the context of Texas’ abortion laws.

The Democrat said he supports re-establishing the Roe v. Wade viability standard as federal policy, while Cruz said that rape and incest protections are a question to be decided by the state government, not Congress.

Cruz has remained mostly mum on the issue of abortion, an issue that does not poll well for Republicans at the moment, particularly in the context of Texas’ across the board abortion prohibition save for a life and health of the mother exception.

About halfway through, Cruz’s key wedge issue was brought up: Allred’s actions related to biological males competing in female sports.

Cruz and the Texas GOP have been running ads nonstop across the state on the topic, particularly hitting the Democrat for voting against the “Protection for Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.”

The ads seem to have struck a chord as Allred filmed and blasted out a rebuttal video in which he said he did not support “boys in girls’ sports.”

The Cruz camp then fashioned a rebuttal to the rebuttal, and is airing that on television immediately.

Before sunrise on Tuesday morning, Trump gave Cruz his formal endorsement on his Truth Social platform — fully aligning the two candidates at the top of Texas’ GOP ticket who’ve been at odds in years past.

“This is a desperate, last second attempt to distract you,” Allred said, reiterating the line said in his television ad.

“It's a lot. And I stand here as a proxy for millions of Texans tired of [this line of argument]. The only position Cruz played was 'left out.' I'm not trying to be mean, Senator, but sit this one out.”

Cruz jumped in, “It's striking that in that answer he said not a word about his record. Four times, he has come out for men playing in women's sports. There was a narrow bill to protect girls' sports and he voted against it.”

“Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. It is not fair for boys to compete with girls.”

The pair later scrapped over bipartisan bonafides, housing, inflation, energy and foreign policy.

The full debate can be viewed here.

“We're all Americans and we're all Texans. We need a leader that will bring us together around our shared values. That's the opposite of Cruz,” Allred said in closing.

Cruz closed, “Colin Allred and Kamala Harris are both running on the same extreme agenda. Allred is running on being Schumer's 50th vote to stop [election integrity].”

The latest Hobby School of Public Affairs poll came out Tuesday morning which put Cruz up 4 points on Allred among likely voters in the race; Libertarian Ted Brown polled at 1 percent and undecideds totaled 3 percent.

Cruz also led among Independents by 6 points, but Allred led by 3 points among Latino voters.

This will be the only debate between the two candidates during the race.

Early voting begins on Monday, October 21 and runs through November 1.

Colin Allred, Ted Cruz blast each other as “extreme,” throw jabs on border and abortion in Senate debate DALLAS — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, sparred Tuesday over immigration, abortion and transgender rights in a feisty debate that is expected to be the only onstage face-off between the two candidates ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

Throughout the one-hour debate, Cruz cast Allred as “radical and extreme,” repeatedly urging the audience to consider Allred’s voting record over his efforts to portray himself as a moderate.

He sought to tie Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging the two “voted in favor of open borders over and over” and were both responsible for fueling a surge in inflation under the Biden administration.

“We’re doing an awful lot right in the state of Texas,” Cruz opened the debate.

“Colin Allred wants to change that. I want to keep Texas, Texas.”

Allred countered by attacking Cruz as a partisan bomb-thrower with few legislative accomplishments to show for his nearly 12 years in office.

He blasted Cruz for helping spike a bipartisan border package earlier this year and said the GOP senator was “only focused on himself,” invoking Cruz’s trip to Cancún in 2021 as Texas was paralyzed by a historic winter storm.

“He’s never there for us when we need him,” Allred said.

“When the lights went out in the energy capital of the world, he went to Cancún. When a mob was storming the Capitol, he was hiding in a supply closet. And when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, he took it down.”

The debate, held at WFAA-TV’s studio in downtown Dallas, proved combative from start to finish, with Cruz and Allred trading barbs on nearly every issue that came up. In his opening statement, Allred called Cruz “maybe the most extreme” member of the Senate in the last 30 years.

Cruz closed with the message that Allred “wants to destroy what we've got in Texas because he shares Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris’ values.”

The debate began with a focus on Texas’ abortion ban, which does not exempt cases of rape and incest.

Allred has made restoring abortion access a key part of his campaign, while Cruz has largely avoided the issue.

Pressed Tuesday on where he stands on the question of rape and incest exceptions, Cruz said the matter should be settled at the state level and declined to stake out a position.

He went on to criticize Allred for pinning the issue on him in his TV ads.

“You know, Congressman Allred is running all sorts of ads saying that I made this decision,” Cruz said.

“I don’t serve in the state Legislature. I’m not the governor.”

Allred has leaned into the state abortion ban in the homestretch of the election, running ads that highlight the stories of women who were forced to leave the state after being denied emergency medical care for pregnancy complications.

He brought up the issue again Tuesday evening, disputing Cruz’s characterization of himself as “pro-life.”

“You’re not pro-life,” Allred said, turning to address Cruz.

“It’s not pro-life to deny women care so long that they can’t have children anymore. It’s not pro-life to force a victim of rape to carry their rapist’s baby. … Understand that when Ted Cruz says he’s pro-life, he doesn’t mean yours.”

Allred was put on the defensive later when he was asked about a series of ads run by Cruz and his allies accusing the Dallas Democrat of supporting legislation that would allow men to use women’s restrooms and boys to play in girls’ sports.

The ads cite Allred’s vote against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, a GOP bill that would cut off federal funds for athletic programs that allow men, “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” to compete in women’s or girls’ sports.

Allred characterized the attacks as a “Hail Mary” and a “desperate” attempt to deflect from Cruz’s stance on abortion, calling it “laughable” for the GOP senator to say he wants to protect women.

“What I think is that folks should not be discriminated against,” Allred said.

“What Senator Cruz should try to explain to you is why he thinks they should.”

Cruz dug into Allred for supporting a 2021 bill called the Equality Act, which would have barred gender discrimination in public places, including based on if a person is transgender.

He also blasted Allred for recently signing onto a letter, along with dozens of other House Democrats, that urged GOP lawmakers to strike from an annual defense policy bill provisions that include “restricting medically necessary care for transgender service members” and restricting the use of pride flags on bases.

“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.

“Call me old-fashioned — I think the only flag that should fly above our military base should be the American flag.”

Cruz also faced questions at the debate over his comments regarding the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Cruz at first called the events a “violent terrorist attack,” before walking back the comment, calling it “sloppy” and “frankly dumb.”

Cruz, asked about his changing stance, turned the issue around on Allred.

“Congressman Allred is happy to talk about those who committed acts of violence on Jan. 6, but you don’t hear him talking about the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots that burned cities across this country,” Cruz said, referring to protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

“If you commit an act of violence, you should go to jail, and there should be no political favoritism in that regard.”

Allred sought to refocus the discussion on Cruz’s role surrounding certification of the 2020 election, in which he urged colleagues to object to the certification of results in some states and called for a 10-day audit to probe unsubstantiated voter fraud claims in the disputed states.

Allred said Cruz was “a threat to democracy” and recalled the harrowing events of the day, when members of Congress were told to “look under our feet for gas masks.”

Both candidates have portrayed themselves as moderates willing to work across the aisle, each touting crossover support from politicians in the opposing party.

Allred’s GOP supporters include former U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom are among their party’s leading critics of former President Donald Trump. Cruz, meanwhile, has garnered the endorsement of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who was defeated in the Democratic primary earlier this year.

Ogg is the most prominent member of the “Democrats for Cruz” coalition assembled by the GOP senator to soften his reputation as a partisan bomb-thrower.

Cruz likened Allred’s answers to Harris and his voting record to that of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In response, Allred accused Cruz of making a “recent transition to trying to be someone who wants to actually get things done.”

Allred noted that he is a past recipient of the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for bipartisanship from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which Cruz noted has endorsed him in the Senate race.

After the debate, Glen Whitley, a Republican and former Tarrant County judge who recently announced his support for Allred, said Cruz’s approach to the 2020 election was part of why he is supporting the Democratic nominee.

He argued that Allred performed especially well on the topic of Jan. 6, and on immigration.

“It's a heck of a thing when you see the Democrat winning the discussion on the border over a Republican,” Whitley said.

Cruz strategist Sam Cooper said his candidate “pushed forward a positive vision for the state of Texas,” citing Cruz’s arguments in favor of a limited regulatory environment for oil and gas and other industries, and his “record of bringing jobs” to the state.

“Congressman Allred is Kamala Harris. Their record is no different,” Cooper said.

“When the congressman was pressed on his record, time and time again he refused to answer.”

Most recent polling has shown Cruz leading Allred by around 3 to 5 percentage points, though a few surveys have found the race to be even tighter.

Allred is hoping to close the gap in the final weeks after campaign finance reports showed he had outpaced Cruz in fundraising over the last few months.

ELECTIONS 2024 US SENATE CANDIDATES

Abortion, border dominate debate

Allred and Cruz go toe to toe on a range of issues

Tuesday night’s bare-knuckled debate in Texas’ U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred underscored the tightness of the race and foreshadowed a free-wheeling sprint to the finish with hot-button issues taking center stage.

The matchup in Dallas ahead of the Nov. 5 election saw both candidates going toe to toe and head to head on a range of issues but most fiercely debating abortion and unlawful immigration.

Their rhetoric was often both personal and accusatory, despite their warm opening handshake, with each candidate adding a pat to the bicep of the other.

The debate came three weeks before the election will be decided and less than one week before early voting starts in Texas.

Speaking first with his minutelong opening statement, Allred wasted no time reminding viewers watching on television or a livestream that Cruz took a brief vacation to the Mexican resort city of Cancun in February 2021 when Texas was in the throes of one of its deadliest winter storms in history.

Cruz, seeking his third six-year term, sought to join Allred at the hips of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 presidential nominee, and to their immigration and border security policies.

At one point Cruz even said, “Colin Allred is Kamala Harris.”

During the hourlong debate, Cruz repeatedly name-dropped former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.

Allred never mentioned the names of Biden or Harris, but he did boast Wednesday morning that his campaign raked in more than $1 million in the hours after the debate.

The fireworks started with abortion

Allred, who is giving up his seat representing Dallas in the U.S. House to run for Senate, blamed Cruz for his support for overturning the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that affirmed the right to an abortion with few exceptions.

Cruz said he believed that the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that handed abortion policy to the states was the correct course.

“You should look into the camera and speak to Kate Cox, who’s watching right now, and explain to her why you said that this law, that you said is perfectly reasonable, why she was forced to leave her two children behind and flee our state to get the care that she needed,” Allred said to Cruz, who was standing a few feet to his left in the studio of Dallas TV station WFAA, which hosted the event.

Cox, who suffered complications from her pregnancy that jeopardized her future fertility, has been an active Allred supporter and is featured in his latest TV ad.

Cruz said that as divisive as the issue has been for decades, “there’s also a lot of consensus” on the issue in Texas, such as for regulating late-term abortion and requiring that parents be involved in any decision when a minor is seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

He accused Allred of opposing both, but Cruz sidestepped a direct answer to the question of whether rape or incest should become exceptions to the state’s abortion ban.

Allred, seeking to become the first Texas Democrat to win a statewide election in 30 years, said he supports a federal law that would essentially adopt the constraints of the Roe decision.

Cruz, Allred parry over border policy

Immigration, especially the contrast between the policies of the Trump and Biden administrations, gave Cruz the opportunity to go on offense.

“He calls the border wall, quote, ‘that racist border wall,’ and he is tearing down that racist border wall personally,” Cruz said of Allred, a reference to a quote by the Democrat early in his political career.

“He’s voted against border wall, not once, not twice, but three times. Every single time there’s a serious measure in the House here on the border, Colin Allred votes no.”

Allred sought to turn the table, pointing out that Cruz was a “no” vote earlier this year on a bipartisan border security bill.

“I have a simple question for you,” Allred said to Cruz.

“The $20 billion for 1,000 new border agents, for 100 new immigration judges, for 4,000 asylum personnel to help us have technology to catch fentanyl coming across the border – why did you not vote for it?”

It was a reference to legislation that Trump urged Republicans to reject because it might have given the Biden administration an election-year victory on an issue that is viewed as a vulnerability for Democrats.

Cruz countered that Trump’s approach to the border had proven better.

“We produced the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years working hand in hand with President Trump,” he said.

“He didn’t address that. He also didn’t address the fact that it didn’t take long for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Colin Allred to break the border.”

Who was where on Jan. 6?

When the debate moderator asked Cruz why he had seemed to soften his early rhetoric that the attempted Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was an act of terrorism that sought to undermine the transition of presidential power from Trump to Biden, the Republican pivoted his answer to note that police organizations with thousands of members have endorsed his reelection bid.

“I’ve spent 12 years fighting to defend the men and women of law enforcement,” Cruz said.

“That’s why I’ve been endorsed by the leaders of organizations over 44,000 law enforcement officers. That’s why I’ve been endorsed by Kim Ogg, the Democratic district attorney of Harris County.”

Cruz was among the members of Congress who voted against certifying Biden’s victory after order was restored at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Allred pounced on Cruz, noting that he was on the floor of the House as the rioters advanced through the Capitol.

At the time, Allred was just beginning his second term in Congress after retiring from being an NFL linebacker and becoming a civil rights lawyer.

“I texted my wife, Ali – who was seven months pregnant with our son, Cameron, and home with our son George, who wasn’t yet 2 – ‘Whatever happens, I love you,’” he said.

“I took off my suit jacket, and I was prepared to defend the House from the mob.

“When the mob came, Sen. Cruz was hiding in a supply closet.” Transgender athletes and locker rooms

Over the past several weeks, Cruz has been running TV and digital ads accusing Allred of supporting legislation that would open the doors for boys and men to compete against girls and women on high school athletics, and for the end of separate locker rooms.

“He is a co-sponsor, and he voted for a law called the Equality Act,” Cruz said.

“The Equality Act mandated that boys be able to go in girls’ bathrooms, in their locker rooms and their changing rooms. He voted for it.”

Allred said Cruz had misstated the bill’s intent, and he called the matter a late-campaign distraction with polls foreshadowing a tight race.

“You don’t have to be the former NFL linebacker to recognize a Hail Mary when you see one,” Allred said, referring to a late-game tactic in which a quarterback throws a long pass in hopes that it will lead to a game-changing touchdown.

“This is a desperate last-second attempt by Sen. Cruz to distract you because he can’t defend his record.”

Where the Cruz-Allred race stands three weeks before Election Day On Tuesday morning, the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston released a poll showing Cruz leading Allred with 50% to the Democrat’s 46%.

Here are some key poll findings:

● Cruz holds a 15-percentage-point lead over Allred among men, 56% to 41%.

● Allred holds a 7-percentage-point lead over Cruz among women, 51% to 44%.

● Cruz leads Allred by 22 percentage points – 60% to 38% – among white likely voters.

● Allred leads Cruz by 62 percentage points – 78% to 16% – among Black likely voters.

● Allred edges out Cruz 48% to 45% among Latino likely voters.

ELECTIONS ’24 U.S. SENATE

Allred campaign says it raised $1M after Tuesday’s debate

Texas candidates compete for voters’ ballots and dollars

Tuesday night’s debate between Democrat Colin Allred and Republican Ted Cruz did more than capture politically minded viewers interested in the Texas race for U.S. Senate.

It also opened wallets.

Allred raised more than $1 million in the 18 hours after the debate’s 7 p.m. start, his campaign said in a news release.

The Cruz campaign did not immediately respond to a question about its fundraising after the debate.

Allred has been outpacing Cruz in fundraising for months, including in the most recent quarter when Allred’s campaign raised $30.3 million.

Cruz said his campaign and related organizations collected $21 million for the period.

Allred’s flow of donations was apparently supercharged by the first — and only — planned debate in the high-profile race.

In interviews with conservative news outlets, Cruz has warned about Democrats spending big on the race and asked supporters to send more donations.

Allred and his allies are outspending Cruz and his supporters in advertising across platforms, and the influx of money will help them continue the barrage.

Tuesday’s one-hour debate, held in WFAA-TV’s downtown Dallas studio, drew national news coverage and plenty of social media attention, with video clips from both candidates circulating widely online.

During the debate, the two clashed on hot-button issues such as abortion access, illegal immigration, transgender athletes and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The Cruz and Allred campaigns took their expected victory laps after the debate, with each one declaring victory.

Cruz’s deep debate experience came through as he hammered Allred for a voting record aligned with fellow Democrats and tied the race to the presidential contest in which Republicans have a clearer advantage in Texas.

Allred returned verbal fire, taking shots at Cruz’s support for abortion restrictions and highlighting pregnant women who faced health complications after being denied care.

One moment that circulated widely on social media featured Allred criticizing Cruz over his push to block certification of President Joe Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021.

Cruz said at the time that he wanted a commission to audit the results.

Allred said Cruz had traveled the country “lying about the election” and acted as the “architect of the attempt to overthrow that election” before hiding from the mob that stormed the Capitol.

“You can’t be for the mob on Jan. 6 and for the officers,” Allred said as Cruz smiled and seemed to chuckle to himself.

“You can’t, and it’s not funny, because you’re a threat to democracy.”

Cruz pushed back by turning again to Allred’s recent votes.

“The far left, they’re so angry right now, there’s so much hatred,” Cruz said. “You know, Congressman Allred just snarled at me, ‘You’re a threat to democracy.’”

Cruz said he had no animus toward Allred but described the Democrat’s voting record as “radical and extreme,” citing his opposition to Republican legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.

“Congressman Allred votes no to protecting our elections and ensuring that people don’t vote illegally. That is a threat to democracy,” Cruz said.

ELECTIONS ’24 U.S. SENATE

Debate shines light on Cruz, Allred records

Candidates use only meeting to attack positions, character

Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred shook hands to start their Tuesday night debate, and then the gloves came off.

The candidates for U.S. Senate attacked each other’s positions and character as they sparred over hot-button issues that included abortion, immigration and the economy.

Here are some things that stood out:

Race to center

Allred wasted little time hitting one of his top talking points, using his opening statement to portray himself as “the most bipartisan Texan in Congress” since being sworn in to the U.S. House in 2019.

That, he said, makes him “the exact opposite” of Cruz, who he described as the most extreme senator in Washington.

Cruz positioned himself as an effective lawmaker who has passed 101 pieces of legislation, including bipartisan bills to create new interstates.

“That was Raphael Warnock and me,” he said of a bill with the Georgia Democrat to create an interstate from Texas to the Atlantic Ocean.

“A liberal Democrat. Cruz-Warnock. We passed it.”

Cruz also cast himself as a strong supporter of in vitro fertilization, calling out Senate Democrats for “very cynically” opposing his bill to protect IVF access.

And while he strongly opposes allowing transgender girls in girls’ sports, he said every child should be protected from harm or discrimination “regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity.”

Allred called Cruz a hyperpartisan who was “trying to change his image in this election year.”

Since the beginning of his political career, Allred said, he has reached across the aisle, noting 70% of the bills he’s co-sponsored have been bipartisan.

He also pointed to the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship he received from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“So that is not in question,” Allred said to Cruz.

“What is in question is your recent transition to trying to be someone that wants to actually get things done instead of being a hyperpartisan.”

Tying Allred, Harris

Cruz repeatedly linked Allred to the policies of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as he sought to portray his opponent as a radical Democrat whose positions are too extreme for Texas.

Allred and Harris, Cruz argued, are not only running on the same agenda, they’re indistinguishable from each other.

Even Allred’s debate style “reminded me of Kamala Harris in her debate,” Cruz said.

“Understand at home, Colin Allred is Kamala Harris,” Cruz said.

“Their records are the same. I’ve served with both of them. They voted in favor of open borders over and over and over again, and now they are desperately trying to hide that from the voters.”

Cruz also stressed his role working beside Donald Trump, saying he urged the former president to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, encouraged him to pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran and “worked hand in hand” with him to secure the southern border.

“We achieved incredible success,” Cruz said.

“We produced the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years. That’s what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inherited. It’s what Colin Allred inherited, and they deliberately broke it and opened the border, and Texas is paying the price.”

Recent polls have shown Trump running stronger in Texas than Cruz. Cruz’s character

Allred has sought to make the race a referendum on Cruz’s time in office, decrying the senator as a “me guy” most interested in looking out for himself.

The Democrat took some of his hardest swings yet during the debate, saying the senator was lying about Allred’s record, just as he lied about fraud in the 2020 election.

“You’ve been seeing him lie to you for 12 years,” said Allred, who also repeatedly mentioned Cruz’s trip to Mexico during the 2021 winter storm.

He said Cruz has been one of the country’s most divisive senators.

“He has introduced this new kind of anger-tainment, where you just get people upset and then you podcast about it and you write a book about it and you make some money on it, but you’re not actually there when people need you,” Allred said.

“Like when the lights went out, when 30 million Texans were relying on a senator to spring into action, he went to Cancun. That’s who he is.”

Cruz has written several books featuring sharp attacks against Democrats.

The most recent publishing agreement, reported on his financial disclosure forms, included a $1.1 million advance for two books.

Cruz has said he is not paid for his three-times-a-week podcast.

Hundreds of thousands in advertising revenue from the podcast has flowed to a pro-Cruz super PAC, an arrangement critics say could violate campaign finance laws.

Cruz has defended the time and energy he spends on the podcast, saying it’s important to bypass biased news outlets and share with people what’s really happening in Washington.

Cruz got in shots as well during Tuesday night’s debate as he focused on what he characterized as a glaring disconnect between Allred’s moderate rhetoric and an “extreme” voting record.

“Congressman Allred wants to destroy what we’ve got in Texas because he shares Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris’ values,” Cruz said in his closing statement.

Stretch run

For a race already dominated by negative ads, Allred and Cruz’s approach to the debate reflected where the campaigns are likely to head in the final three weeks.

Allred sought to capitalize on negative perceptions of Cruz while presenting himself as an acceptable alternative for independents and moderate Republicans who have grown weary of the incumbent.

During a debate question on illegal immigration and border security, for example, he said Cruz has done nothing to address the situation.

“This is a pattern. He talks tough, but he never shows up,” Allred said.

“We have a phrase for this in Texas: all hat and no cattle. That’s what Senator Cruz is.”

Signaling to right-leaning voters that it’s OK to vote for a Democrat, Allred noted that former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, endorsed him over Cruz.

Cruz sought to puncture such talk by repeatedly citing specific votes Allred cast on immigration, abortion and LGBTQ rights that he said are too extreme for the state.

He said Allred’s past support for positions advocated by Democratic Party leaders such as Pelosi demonstrates that he is not on the side of Texas oil and gas production.

“His words sound good, but his voting record, remember, his first four years in the House, he voted 100% with Nancy Pelosi,” Cruz said. “He didn’t deviate on a single vote, which meant he voted against oil and gas and Texas jobs repeatedly.”

#Youtube

0 notes