Texas is a red state with blue pockets, but the Lone Star State has a history of welcoming maverick Democrats (see: Richards, Ann) into the arena when no-nonsense Texans feel it’s time for a cleanup. If there is a character trait that defines Texas more than its conservativism, then it’s Texas pride.
That Texas pride is what new Senate candidate Colin Allred, currently a congressman, appeals to directly as he mounts a challenge to incumbent Senator Ted Cruz, shaming Cruz repeatedly in his campaign announcement launch. Cruz, who despite his tough talk hasn’t always endeared himself to his constituency, appears vulnerable to the ridicule, even if his hard right politics may help him keep his seat.
Allred is positioning himself as giving Texas a way out, he says, of its embarrassment. “We don’t have to be embarrassed by our senator,” Allred says in a video announcing his challenge for Cruz’s Senate seat. “We can get a new one.”
“Ted Cruz only cares about himself,” Allred says, adding, “You know that.”
Cruz has dutifully worn his cowboy boots, but he has been caught out in some embarrassing moments as Senator. He has been portrayed as a lapdog to (and by) former President Donald Trump, having pledged fealty to Trump even after being repeatedly insulted by him.
Cruz also became a much-mocked meme as “Cancun Ted” — after an ill-fated and ill-timed trip to Mexico.
In politics, there have always been two basic paths: A candidate can run for something, or against something. Allred is clearly running against Cruz, who he says is “all hat, no cattle” and who he further shames by saying Cruz “hid in a closet on January 6.”
Allred knows about beating Lone Star Republicans. The former NFL linebacker beat GOP Rep. Pete Sessions to earn his seat in 2018. Cruz often boasts of his lawyerly credentials, as he did recently making his case against what he called the unfair treatment of Clarence Thomas. But Allred, too, is a lawyer from an elite school, having earned a law degree at UC Berkeley after his NFL career ended.
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