Former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred dropped out of the Texas Senate race on Monday, leaving many ramifications in an effort to avoid a runoff in a three-way primary after Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) jumped in the race.
The Texas primary has been a heated one for both parties, as the GOP has three major candidates and the Democrats narrowly missed having three possible contenders. Allred suspended his second campaign for the upper chamber to launch a bid to return to the House.
Allred was a captain of the Baylor University football team, where he first gained recognition in Texas. He played in the National Football League before becoming a civil rights lawyer and eventually serving in the House. Allred mounted a bid against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) last year but lost by nearly 10 points in the red wave.
Crockett enters race
Allred alluded to Crockett’s announcement in his statement suspending his campaign, as a three-way primary would have likely headed for a runoff at a later date, giving the eventual nominee a shorter time frame to fundraise and campaign for the general election — an already uphill battle for a Democrat.
“In the past few days, I’ve come to believe that a bruising Democratic Senate primary and run off would prevent the Democratic party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers Paxton, Cornyn, or Hunt,” Allred wrote in a statement. “That’s why I’ve made the difficult decision to end my campaign for U.S. Senate.”
Allred told CNN that Crockett called him before he made any campaign decisions in what was a “professional, friendly conversation.” The Texas Tribune reported that Crockett also called Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who launched his bid earlier this year.
Allred eyes his way back into lower camber
Just after suspending his campaign, Allred filed to run for Texas’s 33rd Congressional District, the same district that freshman Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) is running in after the state led the redistricting effort, which has since spread like wildfire across the country as part of an effort to draw five Democrats out of their current seats.
“Today, I’m announcing my campaign for Congress to represent the newly drawn Congressional District 33. The 33rd district was racially gerrymandered by Trump in an effort to further rig our democracy but it’s also the community where I grew up attending public schools and watching my mom struggle to pay for our groceries,” Allred wrote on X. “It’s the community where I was raised, and where Aly and I are now raising our two boys.”
However, Johnson won’t back down.
“This new district deserves representation that has been present in the tough moments, including throughout the redistricting fight, instead of parachuting back when another campaign doesn’t work out,” she wrote on X. “Families here are dealing with rising costs, housing pressures, and real economic strain. They deserve someone with a strong record in Democratic collaboration and support.”
A Republican could be next
The GOP primary is also seemingly headed for a runoff after Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) jumped in the race to challenge Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
JASMINE CROCKET JUMPS INTO TEXAS SENATE RACE HOURS AFTER COLIN ALLRED DROPPED OUT
The three campaigns continue to tout different polling that leans in their favor. A Hunt super PAC released a poll late last month showing Cornyn slipping into third place in a runoff between the candidates, trailing just 1% behind Hunt, with Paxton in the lead. A pro-Cornyn group released polling on Monday showing the incumbent having a two-point lead over Paxton.
Any runoff in this election could be a crucial time, as it would take away time and money from the general election. However, as of Monday, no Republican seems to be poised to follow suit with Allred.
