It has been predicted over the past week but on Wednesday morning U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, made it official: he will challenge Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for his seat.

Allred announced his 2024 candidacy in a video called “Our Team is Texas.”

"My boys are fifth-generation Texans, and they’ll learn that this state is full of generous people, who look out for each other,” Allred said in the video. “Where if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead. That’s how a working-class kid raised by a single mom can make it to the NFL, law school and even Congress. We don’t have to be embarrassed by our Senator. We can get a new one.”

In addition to being a frequent critic of Cruz, Allred, 40, is a former NFL linebacker who played for the Tennessee Titans and was a football standout at Baylor University. He later obtained a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, before taking positions in the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Allred’s announcement marks the first significant challenge to Cruz, who defeated former Democratic representative Beto O’Rourke in 2018 in a tight race.

Nick Maddux, spokesman for Cruz, issued the following statement Wednesday morning: 

“Democrats have once again turned to a far-left radical to run for Senate. Not only does Colin Allred vote with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time, but his voting record is completely out-of-touch with Texas. Allred wants men to compete in women’s sports, isn’t serious about addressing the crisis at the border, wants to take away law-abiding Texans’ guns, and is soft on punishing murderers. Bottom line, Allred is too extreme for Texas.

"Thankfully, the Lone Star State has a tireless champion in Sen. Ted Cruz. For over a decade, Sen. Cruz has been leading the fight for jobs, freedom, and security in Texas. As Senator for Texas, Sen. Cruz will continue to do everything he can to bring more jobs to Texas, fight out-of-control government spending, and support the oil and gas industry from the attacks of Democrats like Joe Biden and Colin Allred.”