The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is adding millions more to its existing television ad buy backing Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX-32) in his race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
The group previously put $75 million into television reservations across nine states, including Texas. Now the group is supplementing that purchase with more money in Texas and Florida.
“Senate Democrats are expanding the map and going on offense,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Gary Peters.
“All cycle long the DSCC has been preparing to take advantage of Sens. Cruz and Scott’s damaged standings in their states — and now our efforts in Texas and Florida are accelerating. Democrats have strong candidates running effective campaigns in both states, and as we escalate our communications against Sens. Cruz and Scott we will crystallize the case against them.”
Allred’s campaign manager Paige Hutchinson said of the announcement, “Colin Allred has earned broad support from Texans, and our campaign has clear momentum.”
“Ted Cruz is weaker and more vulnerable than ever because of his failure to secure the border, his extreme abortion ban that has put women in danger, his efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare and his record of only looking out for himself. On November 5, Colin Allred is going to beat Ted Cruz and give Texas the leadership we deserve.”
New polling from Emerson College was also released Thursday morning, showing Cruz up 5 points on Allred in the state and Donald Trump up 6 points on Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Real Clear Politics (RCP) polling average lines up exactly with that Emerson result. Earlier this month, the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation put Cruz’s lead at 3 points and the Texas Politics Project pegged it at 8 points.
Most of the discrepancy between the larger and smaller margins on these polls comes down to whether the poll was done based on a likely voter model — gauging those who are likely to turn out, not just those registered — versus those just on registered voters. Pollsters still running the latter believe a likely voter sample is too uncertain to predict at the moment.
Around this time six years ago, Beto O’Rourke deficit in the RCP average was about 4.5 points. Cruz eventually won by 2.6 percent.
The campaign has been high-profile almost from the outset as Allred has raked in a massive fundraising haul, significantly outpacing Cruz since he jumped into the race. Allred raised $1 million in a 24-hour period last Friday.
Allred has focused heavily on abortion, linking Cruz to the state’s restrictions triggered following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Cruz has tried to reshape himself as bipartisan and pragmatic while also using border security, crime, and now biological men in women’s sports as wedge issues for the large number of voters undecided on Allred.
The pair will meet in a televised debate on October 15 in Dallas.
Further down ballot, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and his group the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) has formally endorsed the three Democratic candidates for Texas Supreme Court.
“For too long, a majority on the Texas Supreme Court, driven more by ideology than impartiality, has issued disastrous decisions that have caused real harm to the people, including denying access to lifesaving reproductive health care,” Holder said of the endorsement of Christine Weems, Bonnie Lee Goldstein, and DaSean Jones.
“Such decisions are antithetical to the fundamental role of the judiciary in our democracy: to protect its citizens. Texans deserve a state supreme court that is fair-minded, conducts an independent evaluation of the law, and is dedicated to protecting rights and freedoms.”
