Ted Cruz and Colin Allred agree to debate as their U.S. Senate race gains attention

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Democratic challenger Colin Allred, a member of the U.S. House from Dallas, have agreed to debate three weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
The 7 p.m. debate on Oct. 15, at the WFAA studios in downtown Dallas, will not include an audience, according to a Friday announcement.
The moderators will be WFAA senior political reporter Jason Whitely and Gromer Jeffers Jr., political writer at The Dallas Morning News.
The Tuesday night session will air live on the broadcast and digital platforms of TEGNA stations across the state.
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“With this debate reaching Texans statewide, voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about the issues that matter most to them,” Carolyn Mungo, WFAA’s vice president and station manager, said in a news release.
Cruz has been an outspoken conservative voice during his two terms in the Senate, but as he seeks a third he has emphasized his work passing bipartisan measures such as the FAA reauthorization bill and said he’s focused on bringing jobs to the state.
He describes Allred as too liberal for Texas, particularly on issues such as immigration and border security, linking the Democrat to what Cruz characterizes as the misguided policies of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Allred has touted his ability to work with Republicans on legislation such as the bipartisan infrastructure law that has helped bring significant projects to the state and the CHIPS and Science Act, which has directed billions of dollars of investment to manufacturing facilities in Texas.
Allred also has focused heavily on his support for protecting abortion access, highlighting the stories of women denied care in emergency situations and criticizing Cruz for supporting abortion restrictions.
Recent polls indicate Cruz and Allred are locked in a close race that is expected to feature massive campaign spending as the national parties closely watch.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, recently told reporters that his top priority is securing reelection wins for Democratic incumbents. After that, he said, Texas and Florida represent prime opportunities to flip Republican seats to their side of the ledger.
Peters acknowledged Allred still has work to do raising his name recognition among Texans, but he said Cruz’s name recognition comes with high negatives.
He pointed to Cruz’s close call in 2018, when he beat Beto O’Rourke by 2.6 percentage points, and touted Allred’s background as a star football player at Baylor University, his time in the NFL and his work as a civil rights attorney.
In a separate session with reporters in July, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he was “very confident” the Republican will win handily.
Cruz, he said, was in a good spot, taking the race seriously and running an aggressive campaign.
“That’s exactly the kind of candidate you want to have for a senator running for reelection,” Daines said.