AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz easily fended off a challenge by Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, defending his seat by a far more comfortable lead than he did six years ago. With Cruz’s victory, Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas for 30 years.

What You Need To Know

  • Sen. Ted Cruz won reelection by a larger margin than six years ago, defeating Democratic Rep. Colin Allred by nearly 9 percentage points

  • Analysts say Cruz benefited from Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, with voters prioritizing border security and the economy 

  • Trump did better in Texas against Kamala Harris than he did facing Joe Biden four years ago, and analysts suggest Allred could not overcome Harris' deficit 

  • Notably, Trump built on the gains he made with Hispanic voters in South Texas since 2016 and flipped a counties along the Texas-Mexico border 

In a state where abortion and border security were front and center, Cruz won his reelection by almost 9 percentage points, a much wider margin of victory compared to his reelection six years ago. 

“The results tonight, this decisive victory, should shake the Democrat establishment to its core,” Cruz said Tuesday night at his watch party.   

He defeated Allred, a former NFL linebacker who would have been the state’s first Black senator. The Democrat was a prolific fundraiser who ran a traditional and targeted campaign that sought to appeal to moderates and independents. 

“It shouldn’t be remarkable to have to admit defeat, but in today’s politics, it’s becoming rarer and rarer,” Allred said in his concession speech.  

Sean Theriault, a university distinguished teaching professor in the government department at the University of Texas at Austin, says one major factor that moved in Cruz’s favor was having Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. 

“The exit polls are just telling us that the economy was just driving the election yesterday,” Theriault said. “In the end, right, people just felt like the American economy was on the wrong track, and it was really hard to convince them otherwise.”

Trump did better in Texas against Kamala Harris than he did facing Joe Biden four years ago.

Allred polled consistently within striking distance of Cruz, but ultimately could not overcome Harris' deficit.

“If Donald Trump is winning by 14 points in Texas, there’s literally nothing that Colin Allred could have done,” Theriault told Spectrum News. “I think he has to be proud of himself that he was able to shrink that margin 5 points. It suggests that he was appealing to some Trump voters.” 

Notably, Trump built on the gains he made with Hispanic voters in South Texas since 2016.

He flipped a number of Hispanic majority counties along the southern border,  including Starr County, which a Republican presidential candidate last won in 1892. That success likely helped Republicans — like Cruz — down the ballot. 

“What it suggests is that the Hispanic voters are going to be up for grabs in the elections going forward. I don’t think the Democrats are going to concede, especially Hispanic men, to the Republican Party, but it means that the Democratic Party is going to have to figure out a message that can appeal to them,” Theriault said.  

All of the incumbents who represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives won reelection. But it is worth noting the margins in those closely watched races in South Texas. 

In 2022, longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar won reelection by 13 percentage points. This year, Cuellar won in a much narrower margin despite Republicans largely sitting out of his race following his federal indictment. Two years ago, incumbent Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez defeated Mayra Flores by 9 percentage points, but this time his lead was around 3 percentage points.