{"id":29536,"date":"2025-07-01T09:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T09:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/29536\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T09:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T09:55:11","slug":"dallas-democrat-colin-allred-launches-senate-campaign-for-seat-held-by-john-cornyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/29536\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Democrat Colin Allred launches Senate campaign for seat held by John Cornyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has launched a campaign for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, pledging to be a voice for Texans wracked by higher costs of living and what he views as a \u201crigged\u201d political system.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2019s backwards. Folks are working harder than ever and they still can\u2019t get ahead, but the folks who are cutting corners and cutting deals are doing just fine,\u201d Allred told The Dallas Morning News in an exclusive interview, on Monday. \u201cI know Washington is broken and I\u2019m going to be laser-focused in this campaign on getting back to some of the basics, on lowering costs, on fighting for health care, for fighting against corrupt politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a campaign kickoff video <\/a>launched Tuesday, Allred stressed his commitment to working Texans.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexans are working harder than ever, not getting as much time with their kids, missing those special moments, all to be able to afford less,\u201d Allred said in the video. \u201cAnd the people that we elected to help \u2014 politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton \u2014 are too corrupt to care about us and too weak to fight for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Political Points<\/p>\n

Get the latest politics news from North Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

Allred, 42, is staging his second statewide campaign launch in two years. Last year he lost a Senate challenge <\/a>against incumbent Ted Cruz by nearly 9 percentage points. It was a disappointment for Democrats hoping Allred would propel them to their first statewide contest since 1994.<\/p>\n

The March Senate primaries are expected to be competitive. Paxton, Texas\u2019 attorney general, is challenging Cornyn in a GOP primary that could also draw other contenders. Several hopefuls are considering running in the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n

The Dallas Democrat said he\u2019s learned from the loss <\/a>to Cruz. His time away from Washington, spent primarily at home raising his two young sons, gave him a different view of the political scene. he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping that I can show folks that I\u2019m not just running again, but that I have a plan for what I think we can do to address a broken and rigged system, that I\u2019m going to campaign harder than I\u2019ve ever campaigned, that I\u2019m going to spend time having conversations with ordinary folks and talking about what\u2019s going on their lives,\u201d Allred said. <\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Senate candidate Colin Allred walks to the stage for a Q&A session hosted by Principles First at the Arts District Mansion in Dallas, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.(Liz Rymarev \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

A former NFL linebacker, Allred is on a political playing field that\u2019s considerably different than in 2024.<\/p>\n

Historically, the party in power typically takes losses in midterm elections. Democrats hope Republicans face headwinds next year. There\u2019s also the prospect of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton beating Cornyn in the March Republican primaries. Many analysts consider Paxton a weaker general election nominee than Cornyn.<\/p>\n

Still, Texas has proven to be reliably red.<\/p>\n

Allred said he doesn\u2019t get \u201cbogged down in the past\u201d or in his party\u2019s past futilities. He does hope to maintain elements of his successful 2018 campaign that flipped Dallas County\u2019s Congressional District 32 from red to blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks are just looking for someone who can offer a little bit of hope that things can change,\u201d Allred said. \u201cI know that we can\u2019t continue like this, and that we need somebody who\u2019s going to be laser-focused on lowering costs and fighting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least three other big name Democrats \u2014 U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, former U.S. Rep. Beto O\u2019Rourke of El Paso and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin are considering Senate campaigns. Terry Virts, a retired NASA astronaut, has already announced his Democratic campaign for Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve told them I was going to make my own decision, not based on anyone else,\u201d Allred said. \u201cEveryone else has to make their own decisions, and I respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allred campaigned against Cruz as a problem-solving bipartisan. His endorsements included former Republican U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney<\/a> of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Cheney campaigned with Allred in North Texas.<\/p>\n

Allred criticized former President Joe Biden on issues like border security, and he didn\u2019t seriously campaign with Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, until a Houston rally that featured Beyonc\u00e9 just days before the election.<\/p>\n

Though he raised $94 million in campaign cash, some critics have pointed out Allred did not hold many rallies across Texas that could have elevated his name recognition.<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019ll campaign differently. Not being obligated to stay around for congressional votes gives him the chance to make stronger connections with voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a football player. I think in football, we sometimes learn more from a loss than we do from a win, and so I\u2019ve analyzed the tape,\u201d Allred said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t just want to tell [voters], but also to show them that I\u2019m going to be on their side,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Allred said his beliefs have not changed, and he still thinks Democrats and Republicans can work together. Resisting President Donald Trump, Cornyn and Paxton require toughness, he said.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (left) is seeking reelection. He faces a challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton (right) in the 2026 Republican primary. This is a composite of two Associated Press photos.(The Associated Press \/ AP)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a very partisan guy, but I am a fighter, and I will fight for what I know is right for our state,\u201d Allred said. \u201cNothing is going to change in terms of my approach, about thinking that there are things that we can do together \u2026, but I also think that what we\u2019ve seen from John Cornyn right now \u2026 or certainly Ken Paxton, are folks who won\u2019t stand up for Texas at all, even if it\u2019s not in our state\u2019s interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allred said he\u2019s the best choice for the Democratic nomination.<\/p>\n

The News reported last week <\/a>that Allred, Castro, O\u2019Rourke and Talarico met in May to discuss developing a statewide slate and the best choice to run for Senate.<\/p>\n

Other contenders say Allred\u2019s launch doesn\u2019t impact their plans. O\u2019Rourke has had more than a dozen town hall meetings, including a San Antonio rally last week that featured Castro and Talarico.<\/p>\n

\"FourFour of Texas\u2019 leading Democrats, former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, State Rep. James Talarico, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Beto O’Rourke met last month to sort out which of them is the best choice to run for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn and to potentially develop a slate that would contend for other statewide offices.(Tom Fox | Juan Figueroa | Ashley Landis | El\u00edas Valverde \/ Dallas Morning News)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all good people, all friends of mine,\u201d Allred said. \u201cAll are folks who are working hard for our state and for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early polls show Allred would be the stronger general election candidate.<\/p>\n

A Texas Public Opinion Research survey had Allred, at +7, more favorable than any Texas politician in the poll.<\/p>\n

Rice political scientist Mark Jones, who co-authored the Texas Southern poll, said Allred would be tough to beat in the primary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s all in, it\u2019s going to be tough for anybody to raise money against him in a primary, as well as to break the narrative that he\u2019s the clear frontrunner,\u201d Jones said before Allred\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

But some Democrats questioned whether Allred is the best choice.<\/p>\n

Dallas\u2019 Morgan Cox, a major fundraiser for Allred\u2019s Senate campaign, said he\u2019s lost confidence that Allred can win in 2026. Allred in 2024 squandered the resources and opportunity that should have translated into a better showing against Cruz, Cox said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he could have scaled a campaign to the size of Texas the way he did in 2018 in his congressional race, it would have been game over,\u201d Cox said. \u201cBut he failed miserably.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe that James Talarico is better poised to take on Ken Paxton than Colin Allred is. Full stop,\u201d Cox added. <\/p>\n

Allred said he has spent most of the last seven months with his wife and sons, which has allowed for a renewal of purpose, and fueled his desire to stay in the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kids are the reason why we do almost everything, and I just feel really strongly that we can\u2019t hand off a country like this to them, one that\u2019s just divided, that\u2019s seemingly so much at risk,\u201d Allred said. \u201cIt both reminded me of those foundational things on why our democracy is a relay race. It\u2019s one generation passing it on to another.\u201d<\/p>\n

His family brings out the fight in him, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also brought back the linebacker in me, which is sort of the impulse to protect and to stand up,\u201d Allred said. \u201cI think about what John Lewis used to tell us all the time, if you see something that\u2019s not right, you say something, do something, get involved. Get in good trouble, and I think that we all have to listen to that impulse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TexasTexas Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, speaks during a watch party on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo\/Tony Gutierrez)(Tony Gutierrez \/ AP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has launched a campaign for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":29537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,23233,1596,25227,18880,80,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-29536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-colin-allred","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-john-cornyn","12":"tag-ken-paxton","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-texas","15":"tag-tx","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114777379853177318","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}