DALLAS—In the only debate between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, the candidates sparred over abortion, illegal immigration, and transgender rights in a close race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Democrats have long dreamed of flipping Texas blue, although a Democrat has not been elected on the statewide level in 30 years.
Cruz, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, is in a tight race with Allred, a former NFL linebacker on his third term in the House of Representatives.
ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas aired the Texas senate debate in a question-and-answer format, allowing each candidate to answer and respond.
Key takeaways include Allred’s support for transgender rights, his switch from supporting open borders to opposing them, and Cruz’s switch from being a vocal anti-abortion crusader to noncommittal.
Border Policies
Cruz used every opportunity to link Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris, left-wing policies, and open borders.Cruz, who has long-aligned his own border position with Trump, sought to position his opponent as flip-flopping on the issue along with Harris, who recently promised a border clampdown.
Cruz accused Allred of downplaying the border as an issue for Texans and said Allred wanted to hide his record of voting against the border security measures as a congressman.
Allred said he grew up in the border city of Brownsville and understands the border and its people, who are trying to raise their families and get ahead.
“Senator Cruz treats our border communities like he’s going on some kind of a safari,” he said. “He comes down; he puts on his outdoor clothes, and he tries to look tough. He goes back to Washington and does nothing to help.”
Abortion Focus
Allred sought to tie Cruz to Texas’s abortion ban, which is one of the strictest in the country.Cruz responded by saying that neither candidate had a vote on the Texas abortion law, since it was a state matter.
Cruz was asked about his support for a bill in the Senate in 2021 with the exceptions of rape and incest, leading to a question on his beliefs since he supported the Texas law without exceptions.
Allred named several women who were allegedly harmed by the Texas law, while blaming Cruz.
“Look into the camera and talk to Amanda Zurawski, who’s watching right now, and explain to her why it’s perfectly reasonable that because she had a complication with her pregnancy and was denied care for so long that, she may never be able to have children of her own,” he said.
Cruz fell back on Trump’s position during the debate, saying that abortion should be left to the states, without further clarifying his stance.
Transgender Rights
Cruz went on the offensive over transgender issues, pointing to positions that many conservative Texans oppose, such as allowing men who identify as female to compete in women’s sports.He brought up Allred’s voting for the Equality Act, noting that it allows male students to use the same restrooms and locker rooms as girls.
Allred defended his vote, saying he was concerned about protecting the rights of all students under the bill, which would amend civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
“I don’t support boys playing girls sports,” Allred said.
“Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. It is not fair for a man to compete against women,” he said.
Supporting Israel
Both candidates said they supported Israel’s battle against Hamas terrorists.Allred said Israel has the right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in the south of the Jewish state.
Like Harris, he called for a cease-fire, adding that people on both sides deserve peace in order to live their lives.
Cruz pointed to his long record of defending Israel.
“Our position should be that America stands unshakably with Israel,” Cruz said.
He accused Allred of supporting the release of billions of dollars in frozen funds to Iran that financed terrorism and claimed that one of Allred’s biggest supporters also funded anti-Semitic protests on college campuses.
Candidates Spar Over ‘Threat to Democracy’
Allred attempted to link Cruz to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, accusing the senator of hiding in a closet while he was ready to defend the House on the floor of Congress that day.He also called Cruz a “threat to democracy,” a refrain Democrats have used against Trump since the Capitol breach.
Cruz said that Democrats love to talk about Jan. 6 but are silent on the destruction and violence surrounding the Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots.
The senator said that the actual threat to democracy was undermining the voting system in the United States by rejecting the SAVE Act.
