Former NFL player tries to tackle Ted Cruz’s Senate seat

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Dallas area Rep. Colin Allred, D-TX, said he is not trying to turn Texas blue, he’s just trying to remove Ted Cruz from the Senate.

The Democrat pitches himself to voters as a lifelong Texan who is willing to work across the aisle. Allred said the skills he learned playing football for Baylor University and then in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans carry over into Congress.

“You get the sense that there’s something larger than yourself. You learn leadership skills, how to get along with others.”

Allred became a civil rights attorney in Dallas after his four-year career with the Titans before running for Congress, when he defeated longtime incumbent Republican Pete Sessions, who has since been elected to a different seat.

The Democrat pitches himself to voters as a lifelong Texan who is willing to work across the aisle.

“I want to be a pragmatic, honest, hardworking Senator for our state and represent all Texans,” Allred said.

Allred is already going negative against his opponent Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, one of the biggest names in both Texas and national politics. Allred’s campaign videos point to Cruz going on vacation to Cancun during a power outage in Texas and his penchant for media appearances.

Allred said Cruz’s narrow 50.9-48.3 2018 victory over Beto O’Rourke shows there is an appetite for Texas to move in a different direction.

“We’ve tried to appeal broadly to independents or moderate Republicans, who feel like they don’t see themselves represented in this version of the Republican party.”

A May UT-Tyler poll of registered Texas voters shows Cruz holds 42-37 advantage over Allred in a potential matchup, with 14 percent marking “don’t know” and 7 percent choosing “someone else”

A spokesperson for the Cruz campaign sent the statement, “While Colin Allred continues to waste his breath shouting insults and advocating for an agenda that Texans have repeatedly rejected, Ted Cruz is focused on leading the fight on the most important battles in the U.S. Senate. From securing the border, to advocating for Texas’ oil and gas industry, to holding the Biden administration accountable, Cruz will continue to work tirelessly for Texans while his opponent works tirelessly to run a failed campaign.”