Senate race: Allred touts bipartisan work in Congress, aims to challenge Cruz
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas voters will soon decide which Democrat faces Senator Ted Cruz in November in the race for U.S. Senate. Polls leading up to the March Primary show Dallas Congressman Colin Allred as the frontrunner.
Allred joined State of Texas host Josh Hinkle for an interview to discuss his message to voters. He highlighted his work across the political aisle in Washington.
"I'm proud that I've been the most bipartisan member of the Texas delegation, and I want to be a senator now for this state that's given me so much," Allred said.
Immigration is one of the top issues for Texas voters, and Allred has called for "comprehensive immigration reform." We asked him what that would entail.
"I think it has to be bipartisan," Allred said. He noted that he's working with Texas Congresswoman Veronica Escobar on bipartisan immigration legislation called the Dignity Act.
"Number one, we have to secure the border. That's something that every country has to do.... But we also need to better match our immigration system to meet the needs of our economy. And that's something I hear from employers all the time. And we want to be a country that can still attract and retain the top talent from around the world. With our broken system right now it's making it harder for us to do that."
"And then of course, need to have a pathway out of the shadows for folks who have been here who are undocumented, to find a way forward for them, and particularly to protect our Dreamers. To me, those are the kind of three pillars of what we know a bipartisan immigration reform is going to look like we haven't done comprehensive reform since the Reagan era. It's time for us to get that done now," Allred added.
In recent years, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Allred noted his support for the Safer Communities Act, federal legislation to address gun violence passed in the wake of the deadly Uvalde school shootings.
"This is something that I think every parent thinks about constantly, is how can we protect our kids," Allred said, noting that he is a father of two young children. "I'm also a fourth generation Texan, I recognize and have grown up around folks who taught me about responsible gun ownership," he added.
Allred spoke of the need to reduce gun violence while respecting Second Amendment rights. "To me that begins with universal background checks, doing something about high capacity magazines, raising the age to purchase a semi automatic rifle, and putting in place red flag laws for folks who have been found to be a danger to themselves, or others," Allred said, calling those "common sense ideas."
The deadly conflict in the Middle East has highlighted a divide between Allred and his closest challenger in the polls, State Sen. Roland Gutierrez. Gutierrez criticized Allred for has joining other Democrats calling for a cease fire in Gaza.
"I think the President and the Secretary of State are working very hard right now to try and find a solution that leads to a ceasefire of some kind in exchange for the release of hostages and an agreement that leaves Hamas no longer in a position to be able to conduct an attack like we did on October 7. But I am, like everyone, heartbroken about when you see civilian casualties in Gaza, just as I was heartbroken about what happened to the Israeli people on October 7, which was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Allred said.
"I think our role as the United States is to help shape what comes next both in Gaza and for a potential Palestinian state. And that, to me has to be the end goal, that we have a peaceful and independent Palestinian state, next to a safe, secure, stable, democratic and Jewish state in Israel," Allred said.
In polls, voters of all political beliefs have voiced concern that the country is on the wrong path, putting much of the blame on elected leaders.
Allred acknowledged the concerns, but maintains that he's a different kind of candidate.
"I'm not a career politician. I'm a former NFL linebacker and a lawyer and somebody who's a fourth generation Texan, and I think I know who we are. And we're not who Ted Cruz says we are, we're not as divided as he makes us out to be, or as divided, as you see on cable news at night. That's not the Texas that I know," Allred said.
"The Texas that I know, is one that helped a kid was raised by single mom, chase his version of the American dream of going to my local YMCA relying on my teachers and my coaches. We are a state that can come together and do incredibly big things. But we have to have leadership in place that understands that and tries to nurture that not that tries to pit us against each other," Allred added.