US Rep. Colin Allred remains lead contender in pending showdown with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

With the Super Tuesday primary election only months away, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred maintains a strong lead over the large field of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates vying to oust Sen. Ted Cruz.

Recent polling from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin found Allred leading his closest Democratic competitor, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, 28% to 7%, with nearly half respondents saying they had no preference.

Despite his lead over Gutierrez in the March 5 primary, the poll found Allred — and Gutierrez — at a 16-point deficit in a showdown with Cruz, the Texas Republican seeking his third, six-year term.

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In November, Cruz spoke with the Texas Tribune about his new book, "Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America." Cruz had considered running for president in 2024, but ultimately decided to seek reelection to the Senate.

"Look, 2024 is going to be different from 2018," Cruz told the Tribune. "In some ways, it's more challenging being down ballot because as you get closer to Election Day, more and more of the conversation is consumed by the presidential [race] so it's harder to be heard."

Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat, asserts the primary campaign is far from over.

"The fact is, I think most people haven't made their decision yet," Gutierrez said, noting that nearly 50% of voters in the UT Austin poll are still undecided. "I've been down in the polls before, but I keep winning."

A Unidos US poll found Gutierrez fairing better than Allred in a possible showdown with Cruz.

"(Texans) want people who are going to stand up for their values and work hard for them," Gutierrez said. "That's what I've done and that's what I'm going to continue to do."

Allred, a Dallas Democrat, remains laser-focused on Cruz as the primary approaches and believes his brand of leadership will sway voters confronted by Cruz's apparent desire to advance culture wars rather than legislative action.

"(Texans) want a leader who's actually going to care about them and focus on them, unlike Ted Cruz, who has only focused on himself," Allred said. "I think there's a strong feeling that Texans are tired of being embarrassed.

"I haven't been a show horse, I've been a work horse. I think folks are responding to that."

What issues are Texans most concerned about?

While on the campaign trail, Allred said a handful of issues have risen to the top for the Texans he's met with, one being the state's near-total abortion ban and its implications.

The recent controversy around Kate Cox, the Dallas mother who had to leave Texas to receive a doctor-recommended abortion, has been particularly high on people's minds, he said.

"Just the reality of what this total abortion ban in our state really looks like," Allred said. "I think there are so many repercussions to that."

For Allred, the impacts of the state's extreme policy could have far-reaching effects, such as scaring off new businesses, alienating talented workers and damaging Texas universities and health care providers.

"This version of extremist politics that we've had," he said, "we can't put up with anymore."

Another big issue among Texas voters is the ongoing chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border, which Allred asserts Cruz has had a hand in exacerbating by refusing to work in a bipartisan manner on meaningful immigration reform, such as U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar's bipartisan Dignity Act.

"I have a lot of frustration with people like Ted Cruz who just want to point out the problem and not be part of the solution," Allred said. "The reality is, for our border communities like El Paso ... or Brownsville, all this inaction leaves too much of the burden on our local communities."

The events of Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, have also been on people's minds, Allred said.

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He recalled being on the House floor that day when the nation faced "a near-death experience for our democracy."

"I don't think there could be any bigger difference between myself and Ted Cruz, who was one of the architects of Jan. 6 and was working to destroy our democracy in many ways," Allred said, noting that Democrats, Republicans and independents have all expressed "consistent concern about our democracy."

"It shouldn't have gotten to that point," he added, "and this election, to me, is about accountability for people like Ted Cruz ... to make sure this never happens in our democracy again."

Swaying Republican voters

While Allred still has to win the Democratic primary, he'll need support from Republican voters if he hopes to beat Cruz in the General Election on Nov. 5. But that's something Allred has experience in.

"I was elected in a district that for 22 years had been represented by a Republican," Allred said. "I've always tried to run in a way that takes no voter for granted."

The primary campaign stands as a way to better connect with some of those voters on the fence, he said, and he plans to do that by staying focused on Cruz and the contrast between them.

"To me, that's the issue that we face as a state is that we can't afford six more years with a senator like this," he said.

Gutierrez claimed that Allred has already missed the mark connecting with voters across Texas, spending over $5 million and "still nobody knows who the hell he is."

"Washington may have decided who it wants to win," Gutierrez said, "but Texans have not."

He said his campaign is "going to move forward."

"We're going to have a discussion with all Texans about what they care about most," he said. "We're going to close that gap, if there is a gap, by doing what we've been doing, which is traveling across Texas and talking to the people."

Allred believes the election will ultimately come down to "who shares our values" as Texans and, even more so, as Americans.

"I know who we are as Texans," he said. "I want to make sure Texans know I want to be their senator whether we agree on everything or not. I think we have to get back to this idea that we're all in this together as Americans and Texans."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Election 2024: US Rep. Colin Allred on course to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz