According to reports, Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat who represents the northeastern suburbs of Dallas, reportedly intends to declare his campaign for the U.S. Senate as soon as this week in order to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas.
It has been rumored for months that Allred, a former NFL linebacker and attorney for voting rights, is thinking about running for the senate. Allred was first elected to Congress in 2018.
He is a member of the leadership group under the direction of Massachusetts Democrat and Minority Whip Katherine Clark.
According to people familiar with his plans, Allred is expected to run against Cruz.
Allred’s website is currently being updated, which encouraged rumors that the congressman would be making an announcement soon last week, according to Inside Elections writer Jacob Rubashkin.
Requests for comment from a representative of Allred were not immediately answered.
Cruz, a committed conservative and the runner-up for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, would face up against Allred, a rising star in the Democratic Party who previously defeated a long-serving GOP incumbent.
Rep. Pete Sessions, a former chairman of the House Rules Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee who later moved to a more advantageous district and returned to the House, was defeated by Allred in an unexpected race for a congressional seat in 2018.
After Texas’ redistricting in 2020 made his seat safely Democratic, he was re-elected twice after that.
In each of his campaigns for re-election, Allred had support from the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Congress, which is rare for a Democrat and illustrates his popularity to voters of all political affiliations.
According to federal records, he has $2.2 million in cash on hand to support a Senate race, demonstrating his potent fundraising skills.
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