US Senate candidate Colin Allred wants to work for all Texans

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred announced in May that he was running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred spoke recently with the Amarillo Globe-News about his reasons for running, his stance on issues and how he differs from his opponent.

Allred has served the 32^nd District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. Allred was born in Dallas and attended Baylor University, where he was a standout athlete who earned an NFL contract, playing for the Tennessee Titans from 2006 to 2010.

Following his NFL career, he went back to school and earned his law degree from the University of California Berkeley, going on to work in the Department of Housing and Urban Development and at a law firm prior to running for office in 2018.

“I feel very strongly that Texas cannot afford six more years of Ted Cruz representing us in the United States Senate,” Allred said. “I do not feel like he has done the job we elected him to do. I think he has been more concerned with being a media personality, with podcasting three times a week and getting on cable news than with actually delivering for Texans. I think his leadership has been one that has pitted us against each other and made us a more divided state and country. I know that there is another way.”

Allred, a Democrat, said that he was named the most bipartisan member of the Texas delegation, and he is proud of the work that he has done across the aisle with Republicans to deliver for his constituents in North Texas. He said that he wants to take those concepts to work for the entire state.

When asked what he could learn from Beto O'Rourke’s previous statewide campaigns against Cruz and for governor, Allred weighed in on his approach to reaching Texas voters.

“This is a very different campaign and a very different year, but we are going to build on elections that have come before. This is going (to be) about the future for Texas," he said. "We are electing a senator that is going to be serving us until 2030, and you can just imagine how quickly our state is changing and all the things that will be occurring. This election is very much about our future, not our past. We need new leadership and fresh ideas in the United States Senate to help us keep up with a rapidly changing world. We need a uniter, somebody that can bring us together around the values that we share instead of spending all of this time on the issues that we disagree on.”

Allred says that both his background as captain of the football team at Baylor and in the NFL, as well as his time in Congress, have made him comfortable finding ways to work together with people of different backgrounds and views in order to reach a common goal.

“We need to bridge those divides to lower the temperature some; I feel like that is what we need for our future as a state,” Allred said.

With the Texas Panhandle being classified as one of the most conservative areas in the entire state of Texas, Allred said he would like to offer more than just the culture war issues that his opponent has offered to be able to reach those voters.

“My opponent has not addressed the real issues that folks in the Panhandle and across our state have been dealing with,” he said. “I am concerned with the future of Texas agriculture, and I am concerned with the Ogallala Aquifer with how we can be more creative to make sure that we can keep our agriculture industry strong. I am concerned about the aging population of our farmers and the fact that we do not have many younger farmers coming in because of some of the barriers to entry in place, including the rising costs of fuel and equipment. All of these issues are ones that are worth talking about, and a culture war is not going to solve them.”

On addressing agriculture and border security issues

Allred said that having a serious legislator who tries to help find solutions is important. He said that working to strengthen the farm bill with improved crop insurance provisions, investment in agricultural techniques of the future and lowering barriers of entry for future farmers is what the state needs.

Addressing ways to tackle border and immigration issues at the Texas border, Allred said that the system is broken and the state faces a crisis at the border.

“We need to have a senator that will be doing something about it through legislation, instead of just pointing out the issue or using it as a wedge issue to pit us against each other or to find areas where you can get folks scared or upset,” Allred said. “There is a pathway forward on a comprehensive reform that can have bipartisan support that secures the border, because every country has to do that, and we have to do that. I have seen the devasting effects of fentanyl in my community and district. I know that most of that comes through points of entry, and we need to be investing in better technology to catch that and holding cartels and Chinese accountable for their role in that.”

Allred said that the immigration system needs to better fit the economy's needs, with so many industries and employers having a great need for more workers.

"I know in the Panhandle we have serious issues around our agricultural workforce. … These are issues that if we can better shape our immigration system to allow the folks who need in, that also reduces some of the uncertainty that the cartel and traffickers rely on to take advantage of. The traffickers and cartels rely on the uncertainty and opaqueness of the system to take advantage of these migrants. There is a better way with comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border and better meets the needs of our economy. Still, we must have someone in place that really wants to do that rather than using that as a political issue.”

Weighing in on the oil and gas industry, current prices

Addressing the rising cost of oil, Allred alluded to OPEC trying to artificially keep the price of oil higher, which he feels is a concern that affects everyone in the country. He said that the war in Ukraine has also had a negative effect of fuel pricing, with Russia trying to keep its economy going while they are dealing with extreme sanctions.

“This is a global fight in one that we have to be all united on in pushing back against some of the bad actors but also understanding where we are in the geopolitical picture,” Allred said. “I want to make sure that our oil and gas industry is supported here at home. We need to overcome some of these hurdles that have become overly burdensome or have gotten in the way of expanding needed projects.”

Allred said that he is very aware of the importance of the oil and gas industry to the Texas economy with his positions for the state and beyond. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia and Russia play a disproportionate role in keeping oil prices at their current costs. Allred said that while he does not agree with all the current administration has done, he does not think that the issues with oil prices are only related to current administration policies.

“I think our energy industry as a whole is at the very root of our economy, and we are seeing some exciting developments in it,” Allred said. “We have to continue to support all forms of our emerging energy economy, including our rapidly growing renewable sectors such as wind and solar. To me, there is no magic solution, but we have to have a balanced and mature leadership that can understand our economy and help us move forward where we are going as a country.”

Speaking about his priorities if elected to the U.S. Senate, Allred said that he would like to lower the temperature around the division based on politics.

“I do not think we are as divided as cable news shows would tell us,” he said. "We have an incredible opportunity and challenge in front of us as a state. We are growing incredibly rapidly; that growth brings opportunities in terms of new talent, jobs and businesses opening up, as well as infrastructure challenges on how we keep this growth sustainable and make it so folks feel comfortable in their communities. We have to find a way to invest in our infrastructure that helps us build toward the future.”

Allred said that he was proud to have voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which his opponent was one of 30 senators to vote against.

Thoughts on healthcare and education in Texas

One of Allred’s most significant concerns for Panhandle and the rest of Texas is the state of healthcare. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country and a rash of rural hospitals closing due to the dirge of citizens without insurance.

“I want to expand and lower the cost of healthcare coverage. I know that we are in a situation now where costs are still too high, and so I try to find everywhere I can to control costs and to bring costs down, particularly in the areas of prescription drugs, childcare, protecting retirement, Social Security and Medicare,” Allred said.

Allred said that he was proud to have been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in his last two elections, and he was concerned with the state’s plan to divert money from public schools to school vouchers.

“This voucher plan will hurt areas all over the state, but particularly our rural areas,” Allred said. “I am a big believer in our public education system; I believe that is why we built the middle class that has been the envy of the world for the last half-century or more. This has been because of our public education system, and I want to keep investing in that.”

The most significant difference between himself and Cruz, according to Allred, is that he will focus on getting things done by working across party lines.

“What kind of senator do you want?" he said "Do you want somebody who is going to be delivering on culture war issues … trying to get a lot of attention on cable news but not actually helping you or your family? Or do you want a senator who goes to work every day concerned about you, who, even if you do not vote or agree with every position I have, that I will respect your opinion and represent you too. That is important to me. I do not think that Democrats have all the best ideas or that Republicans do not have good ideas. We both have good ideas, so let us sit down and figure out how to work this out. Let us move forward as a state and as a country.”

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Collin Allred discusses his vision for Texas as a senator if elected