Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) intends to announce his plans "as soon as this week" to run against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is up for reelection in 2024.
For months, rumors have been swirling that Allred is considering a challenge to the Texas senator.
HOUSE DEMOCRAT COLIN ALLRED CONSIDERING 2024 SENATE CHALLENGE AGAINST TED CRUZ: REPORT
Politico reported the looming announcement on Monday.
The congressman has a rising profile within the House Democratic Caucus as a member of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s (D-MA) team. He also served as part of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) leadership team.
Allred has previously proved he’s able to defeat a Republican incumbent. The civil rights attorney and former NFL player beat Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) in his race for the Dallas-area seat in 2018 after redistricting in 2020 made it much more favorable to Democrats. Sessions later returned to the House after running in a different Texas district. Allred has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for his previous congressional runs.
Allred, who worked in the Obama administration before serving in Congress, has proven to be a solid fundraiser and has a deep email list of grassroots supporters. He finished the first quarter with a little more than $2.2 million in his congressional account, which could be transferred to a Senate campaign.
Last time Cruz was up for election in 2018, he won the seat within 2.6 percentage points against former Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Cruz is running for a third term in 2024 after his close race against O’Rourke set Democratic fundraising records. Cruz raised $1.5 million in the first quarter, according to his campaign.
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Allred has not publicly confirmed that he is considering challenging Cruz but has said in interviews that he wants to play a role in unseating the senator. His office did not respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment.
The map of Senate seats up for election in 2024 is favorable for Republicans. Twenty Democratic-held seats are up, as are the three held by independents who caucus with the Democrats. Just 10 seats controlled by the Republicans will be on the ballot.