Democrats Seek to Unseat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

Republicans enter the 2024 Senate races needing to pick up two seats to regain control, but a loss in the Lone Star State could threaten their prospects.

(Left) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks on immigration policy in Washington on May 3, 2023. (Right) Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) speaks at a news conference in Washington on June 24, 2020. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

When Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) announced his candidacy in May 2023 to challenge incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Cruz was considered in some quarters to be the most vulnerable Republican Senate incumbent in the 2024 election.

Now, 15 months later, amid the August heat and with the campaign about to enter the decisive post-Labor Day phase, Cruz maintains a consistent lead of 5 to 7 percentage points among surveys of Texas voters, while Allred, the former NFL linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, has been unusually quiet.