HOUSTON – For much of his underdog campaign for U.S. Senate, Colin Allred has made pointed appeals to independents and Republicans he hopes will abandon Sen. Ted Cruz.
Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas, has campaigned with former U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois to lure disaffected Republicans to his side. Touting his bipartisan credentials and a willingness to criticize President Joe Biden, Allred has downplayed his Senate campaign as a party building exercise. A Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race since 1994.
Throughout the summer, Allred has been a tacit supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the White House. He rarely mentions her at his rallies.
Now, in the final days before his Nov. 5 showdown with Cruz, Allred has fully embraced Harris and is making a strong push for voters who strongly identify as Democrats.
While he’s still pitching Republicans and independents, Allred is trying to shore up support from potential Democratic voters, especially those infrequent voters who don’t keep up with politics and may not be familiar with him.
His job was made easier Friday when Harris publicly endorsed his candidacy in front of more than 30,000 enthusiastic people at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
Harris told the crowd that Allred would be her partner in moving the country forward and in restoring reproductive rights for women. That was the theme of the star-studded mega-rally that included music sensations Beyoncé, Willie Nelson and Kelly Rowland.
“There are many important races, including Colin Allred running for Senate,” Harris said before criticizing Cruz’s record on women’s reproductive rights. “Let’s remember, Texas, your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.”
Before Harris spoke, Allred’s speech drew a thunderous ovation, easily the most intense display of support he’s received on the campaign trail.
That the rally occurred at all is significant. Harris has all but conceded Texas to former President Donald Trump. Her campaign chose Houston for the rally because Texas, with its strict abortion regulations, is considered ground zero in the fight for reproductive rights.
Harris’ remarks had an impact on Joe Falcon, a 36-year-old Houstonian who used to work in education. He said he left the rally more enthusiastic about Allred.
“They were very smart to even hold this rally here,” Falcon said after a conversation at a downtown Houston bar turned to politics. “We were at this rally and looking at all the people having a good time and waiting for Beyoncé. I hope that everyone there realizes they have a responsibility to get out there and vote.”
“We can easily elect Allred and flip that state, but places like Harris County need to turn out more voters,” Falcon added.
Over the past month, Allred’s campaign has evolved, with the Democrat spending more time mining voters in urban areas who have different political views than Cheney or other Republicans turned off by Cruz and Trump.
Earlier this month, Allred was in Dallas with Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison. He also headlined a Fort Worth rally of Democrats with Texas Offense, a group formed by Texas Democrats and Allred to boost Democrats up and down the ballot — though the event included former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitely, the lone Republican to speak.
On Saturday, Allred directly addressed Falcon’s concern about turnout in Harris County. He met up with U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, for a block walk, attended homecoming at Prairie View A&M University. On Tuesday will make an appearance with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia.
All those stops were enhanced by the Harris rally.
Allred and Texas Offense scheduled a Nov. 2 get-out-the vote rally at Kessler Theater in North Oak Cliff, where Democrats are looking to improve voter turnout.
Houston resident Vicki Lewis, 54, said she appreciated Harris and Allred rallying in Houston and is committed to helping defeat Cruz.
“This is my first rally, and it’s amazing,” Lewis said. “Allred has to keep doing what he’s doing. We can win. We can turn Texas blue.”
No Democrat or Republican can win a Texas statewide election without robust support from voters in their own party, so any chance of Allred beating Cruz involves him clutching his Democratic Party roots and fully embracing Harris — even if it means turning off some independents or soft Republican voters who aren’t thrilled with Cruz.
For Cruz, who has portrayed Allred as too liberal for Texans and linked him to Biden-Harris administration policies, Friday’s rally provided fodder for the few conservatives still on the fence.
In Texas, there are more conservatives in the electorate than Democrats, so candidates like Allred have to coax support from persuadable Republicans and hope their party’s core voters will understand efforts to reach the other side.
The greater concern for Cruz is that Harris has likely awakened voters who were indifferent or unfamiliar with Allred. In a close race, that could make a difference.
