Texas Senate rivals Ted Cruz and Colin Allred clashed in their only election debate on Tuesday over a range of issues including abortion, whether transgender athletes represent a threat to women's sports and the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Allred, a former NFL player who currently represents Texas's 32nd congressional district in the House, is hoping to unseat Cruz, who has held one of Texas' Senate seats since 2013.
Republicans are seeking to seize control of the Senate in November, which is currently dominated by a wafer-thin majority of 51 Democratic affiliated Senators against 49 for the GOP. Democrats are widely expected to lose the West Virginia seat currently occupied by Joe Manchin, which a surprise gain in Texas would balance out.
Recent polling suggests Allred is within striking range, with Politico reporting this week that an October poll from the GOP-affiliated Senate Leadership Fund (SLP) put Cruz ahead by just 1 percentage point compared to 3 points in September. In better news for Cruz, a Marist Poll of 1,186 likely Texan voters, which took place Oct. 3-7, put the Republican 5 points ahead with 51 percent of the vote against 46 percent.
Appearing on Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Monday, Cruz said he was being "viciously outspent" by Allred, who raised $30.3 million in the third quarter of 2024.
Speaking to Newsweek about Tuesday's debate, a Cruz campaign spokesperson said: "The only thing that is surprising from the outcome of this debate is that Colin Allred's pants didn't catch on fire from the amount of lying he did on stage.
"Sen. Cruz laid out his record, which has brought countless jobs to Texas, supported law enforcement, protected our children, and more. When Colin Allred wasn't lying, he was dodging questions and throwing meaningless attacks."
Allred was contacted for comment by Newsweek via email on Wednesday outside of regular office hours.
Newsweek has prepared a summary of five key takeaways from Tuesday's debate:
It Got Personal
The debate became personal at times, with Allred accusing Cruz of "hiding in a supply closet" during the January 6, 2021, storming of Congress by Donald Trump supporters attempting to block Joe Biden's election victory.
The Texas Democrat also hit out at Cruz for a 2021 trip to Cancun in Mexico while Texas was getting battered by a winter storm that left millions without power.
Cruz hit back, urging viewers to visit a website laying out his rival's "all radical record" and claiming the "far left" are "so angry right now, there's so much hatred."
Transgender Athletes
Cruz and Allred clashed over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports, with the Republican commenting: "Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. It is not fair for a man to compete against women."
Allred replied: "I don't support boys playing girls' sports," before claiming it was "laughable" for Cruz to suggest he is "the protector of women and girls" as he "thinks it's perfectly reasonable that if a girl is raped by a relative of hers, a victim of incest, that she should be forced to carry that child to term and give birth to it."
Abortion
Cruz was forced onto the defensive over abortion, arguably his most vulnerable issue after the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature in 2021 passed a bill banning abortions after six weeks.
The senator presented the issue as one of state rights, commenting: "You wouldn't expect Texas' laws to be the same as California. You wouldn't expect Alabama to be the same as New York."
Allred hit back, saying: "I can't image that the doctor comes in and says, 'so there's a problem with the baby...but there's nothing I can do because Ted Cruz thinks he knows better.'"
He added: "Every Texas family watching this has to understand that when Ted Cruz says he's pro-life, he doesn't mean yours."
Threat to Democracy
Allred blasted Cruz for refusing to certify Biden's 2020 presidential election victory, arguing he was partially responsible for the January 6 Capitol Hill riot.
He said: "You can't be for the mob on Jan. 6, and for the officers. You can't. And it's not funny, because you're a threat to democracy."
Cruz in response suggested Allred's voting record in Congress was extreme, comparing it to that of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Cruz Remains Close to Trump
Cruz touted his close working relationship with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee who branded him "lyin' Ted" when they vied for the 2016 GOP White House nomination.
He said: "When Donald Trump was president, I worked hand in hand with President Trump to secure the border, and we achieved incredible success."
Later in a discussion about foreign policy, Cruz commented: "When President Trump was president, I urged him to move our embassy to Jerusalem, he did... When President Trump was president, I urged him to pull out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, he did."
On Monday, Trump gave Cruz an enthusiastic endorsement via his Truth Social website, saying the senator was "doing a tremendous job representing the Great People of Texas."
