Former Rep. Colin Allred—a civil rights attorney, ex-lineback for the National Football League, and one of Texas Democrats’ brightest prospects—is making a comeback. About eight months after losing to Sen. Ted Cruz, Allred is jumping back into the ring, this timesetting his sights on Sen. John Cornyn in 2026.
“Texans are working harder than ever, not getting as much time with their kids, missingthose special moments, all to be able to afford less,” Allred said in hislaunch video.“And the people we elected to help—politicians like John Cornyn and KenPaxton—are too corrupt to care about us and too weak to fight for us.”
His message is clear: He’s not finished fighting. The video emphasizes his background and the grit it took to make it to the NFL.
“At heart, I’m still that undrafted kid, fighting for what’s right. I’m still that guy showering after work, instead of before,” Allred said—a subtle reference to his second Senate bid.
FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears at a pretrial hearing in his securities fraud case before state District Judge Andrea Beall, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Harris County Criminal Courts at Law in Houston. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, shown in March 2024.
Texas Democrats see an opening. Cornyn is caught in amessy fight with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, thescandal-riddenMAGA hard-linerbeloved by President Donald Trump’s base. A recentTexas Southern University poll showed Paxton with a 9-percentage-point lead over Cornyn in a two-way Republican primary, but only a 2-point edge over Allred in a general election matchup. That’s why Allred’s video targets both men.
Internal GOP pollingreportedly confirms that Paxton is a riskier nominee in a general election. But so far, Trumphas withheld his endorsement. While Paxton has been one of Trump’smost loyal defenders, Cornyn is generally seen as more electable statewide.
Still, Allred shouldn’t take the primary for granted. The Democratic field could grow quickly. Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, state Rep. James Talarico, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke have allreportedly considered running. Former astronautTerry Virts and flight attendantMike Swanson are already in the race, though neither has gained traction.
That’s part of why top Democrats are pushing for a unified statewide slate. With more than a dozen major offices on the ballot in 2026—including governor, lieutenant governor, and Paxton’s soon-to-be-open attorney general seat—party leaders hope to avoid a contentious Senate primary and instead focus on retaking a statewide office for the first timesince 1994.
Texas Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke, right, hugs Crystal Mason after she introduced him to speak during a primary election gathering in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Beto O'Rourke, right, hugs a supporter at a gathering during his run for governor, in Fort Worth, Texas, in March 2022.
Allred arrives with some big advantages: name recognition,national fundraising networks, and potential bipartisan appeal. During his 2024 race, he secured endorsements from prominent anti-Trump Republicans, like former Reps.Liz Cheney andAdam Kinzinger. ATexas Public Opinion Research poll shows 37% of registered voters in the state view Allred favorably—more than Paxton (35%) or Cornyn (21%). He was also the only political figure in the poll to have a net-positive favorability, meaning more voters had a favorable view of him than had a negative view.
However, Allred has something to prove. His previous campaign was criticized for being too cautious, especially compared with the energy O’Rourke brought in 2018. Despite outraising Cruz, Allredlost by 8.5 points—though heoutperformed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, wholost Texas to Trump by nearly 14 points.
This time, Allred promises a different approach. Now, free from congressional duties, Allred said in a recent interview that he plans to “run differently” in 2026—more aggressively, less cautiously.
Allred first ran for office in 2018, flipping a Dallas-area district bydefeating GOP incumbent Pete Sessions. Before that, he worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration.
Now he’s betting that 2026 will finally be the year Texas flips—and that he’ll be the one to do it.
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