CHICAGO — Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, proudly shared the results of a new poll with the Texas Democratic Delegation to the Democratic National Convetion that shows a 2-point margin between him and Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for the Senate. 

“A field margin is how many doors you can knock, how many phone calls you can make, how many fellow Texans you can get involved,” Allred said. 

What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Colin Allred, speaking to members of the Texas Democratic Delegation to the Democratic National Convention, touted a new poll that shows him within striking distance of Sen. Ted Cruz 

  • Allred has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, but he has maintained some distance from her 

  • Cruz is trying to tie Allred to Harris 

  • Some political experts say Allred's strategy of maintaining some separation from the Democratic nominee for president is good strategy in Texas

Allred centered his message on defeating his Republican competitor.

“We built a coalition of not just Democrats but also independents and Republicans as well — of folks who were looking for someone who reflected their values, of folks who thought well, maybe somebody will actually go to work for me because this guy’s not doing it,” said Allred. 

In a statement, Cruz’s campaign described Allred’s DNC attendance as an attempt to play both sides, saying, “the fact remains that he is entirely behind all the policies being promoted this week at the DNC… he just refuses to speak on it because he knows how deeply out of touch national Democrats are to everyday Texans.” 

Absent from Allred’s speech was the mention of the party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Some Texas Democrats say the two campaigns reflect each other. 

“Many of the same issues that Colin Allred has are the main issues within the Democratic Party that align themselves again with Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Bexar County Democratic Party Chair Monica Ramirez Alcantara. 

Allred has endorsed Harris, but his support for her has been muted compared to other Texas Democrats.  

“I think it’s been a good strategy for Allred to keep Harris at arm’s length. I don’t think, though, that the Cruz campaign is going to let him continue to do that between now and November. And so the election will be effectively be decided by the ability of Cruz to link Allred to the less popular Harris,” said Mark Jones, Rice University professor of political sciences.