Democrat Colin Allred Has Money Edge Over Ted Cruz in Wild Card Texas Senate Race

(Bloomberg) -- Democratic Representative Colin Allred holds the fundraising advantage over his Republican rival Ted Cruz in the increasingly competitive race for Cruz’s Texas Senate seat.

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The former National Football League linebacker raised $30.3 million in the last three months, compared to Cruz’s $21 million haul over the same period, the campaigns announced this week.

Cruz said he has $16.2 million cash on hand for the final four weeks of the campaign, while Allred’s campaign would not provide a figure ahead of a filing deadline later this month. For the reporting period ending June 30, Cruz had $14.8 million available to spend, compared to $10.7 million for Allred.

Allred, first elected to the House in 2018, is seeking to leverage support from independents, younger voters, the state’s rising Hispanic population and a pandemic-driven influx of transplants from Democratic states such as California and New York. Polls routinely show him outperforming Vice President Kamala Harris in the state, where former President Donald Trump holds about a 6 percentage point lead.

In a Morning Consult poll last month, Allred led Cruz by a percentage point, which was within the margin of error. A Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation survey also in September showed Cruz up by three points, a smaller advantage than the Republican enjoyed in many polls earlier this year.

An Allred victory would be the first statewide win for Democrats in 30 years and would be a major victory in a year when the Senate election map strongly favors Republicans.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently changed their rating of the contest to “lean Republican” from “likely Republican,” acknowledging that the Texas race is tighter than before.

Cruz, who is seeking his third term in the US senate, has previously prevailed over an opponent who raised more money. In 2018, liberal darling Beto O’Rourke raised nearly $80 million, almost twice as much as Cruz, and lost.

A debate between Cruz and Allred is scheduled for Oct. 15 in Dallas.

--With assistance from Julie Fine.

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