TEXAS — Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, won his primary handily, but according to a poll published by Marist on Tuesday, he has his work cut out for him taking on Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the fall.

The poll, The Battleground 2024: Texas, shows the incumbent senator with a 6-point lead over his challenger, 51% to 45%.

What You Need To Know

  • A poll published by Marist on Tuesday shows Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leading Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, by 6 percentage points 

  • The poll additionally found that opinions about Cruz are mixed, while Allred struggles with name recognition in Texas 

  • The poll shows former President Donald Trump with a double-digit lead over President Joe Biden in Texas 

  • Trump has made some inroads with Black and Latino voters in Texas, the poll shows 

Among independents, Cruz is up by 8 percentage points over Allred. Pollsters noted a large gender gap: Cruz carries men by 21 points and Allred tops Cruz among women by 8 points.

The poll additionally found that opinions about Cruz are mixed, while Allred remains a relative unknown. Forty-five percent of respondents said they have a favorable opinion of the junior senator from Texas while 43% indicated unfavorable. Fifty-three percent of people surveyed said they have either never heard of Allred or are unsure of how to rate him. Thirty percent said they have a positive opinion of Allred while 17% indicated unfavorable.

The poll shows support for former President Donald Trump has improved in the Lone Star State since the last presidential contest. Trump, in 2020, carried Texas by about 5 ½ points. Tuesday’s poll shows him leading President Joe Biden with double that, 55% to 44%.

However, the poll notes, Trump’s lead dwindles to 7 points among respondents who said they will definitely vote in the November election.

Biden carried independents by 6 points in 2020, but Tuesday’s poll shows Trump leading the president in that category, 56% to 41%.

The poll shows Biden’s support among younger Texans has diminished. Trump leads Biden by 14 points among voters 18 to 29 years old.

The poll shows Trump has made some progress with Black voters. While Biden leads Trump 64% to 34% in the latest poll, the president got about 90% of the Black vote in Texas in 2020. It’s much the same with Latino voters. Biden leads Trump 52% to 47% in the latest poll, but he carried the group by 17 points in 2020.

The poll comes as Texas remains at odds with the Biden administration over border security enforcement, and that may factor into the president’s approval rating in the state. The poll found that 38% of Texans approve of the job Biden is doing as president while 55% do not approve.

Sixty-two percent of Texas residents said Biden’s mental fitness to be president is a concern. For Trump, 54% indicated mental acuity is a concern.

The survey of 1,227 Texans was conducted March 18-21. According to Marist, results are statistically significant within +3.6 percentage points.