Colin Allred Scores New Endorsement From Lifelong Republican as He Seeks to Unseat Ted Cruz

Democratic Rep. Colin Allred scored a new endorsement from a former Republican elected official as he makes his final push to unseat Ted Cruz in the upcoming Texas Senate elections.

The person in question is former state Rep. Jason Villalba, who held office between 2013 and 2019. In a newly-released ad, Villalba said he has been a Republican all his life, but Allred "has the character I look for in candidates." "I vote for the candidates that I believe have the best values," adds his wife Brooke.

"I know in border security is very strong. He voted for a bipartisan bill drafted by Republicans to make sure we have safe communities in Texas," Jason adds, making reference to the border security bill struck down by Republicans after Donald Trump criticized it in what many analysts said was a political move destined to keep the issue as a political vulnerability for Democrats.

"Ted Cruz cares about himself, Colin Allred cares about Texas," finishes the ad while showing images of Cruz traveling to Cancun during a deadly cold snap in Texas.

It is the latest endorsement from across the aisle for Allred, who has also received the backing from former Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney.

Kinzinger famously departed from the mainstream GOP after the January 6 Assault on the Capitol, even serving on the House committee that investigated the events. He was also one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August of this year.

Cheney, who also left her seat in 2022, recently highlighted that Cruz can't be trusted. "I know (Cruz) will say anything if it serves his own political purpose," she added in the interview with WFAA in September.

Cheney said that Ted Cruz winning another term would be "dangerous" and that she wants to "do everything I can to help ensure that the people of Texas elect Colin Allred." She added that even though they disagreed on several issues, the Democrat puts "the interest of the people of Texas first and foremost." Allred also got the backing of the Dallas Morning News, Texas' largest newspaper.

The latest poll shows Allred within striking distance from his opponent. The survey, released on Wednesday by Emerson College Polling/The Hill shows the Republican ahead by 1 percentage point, 48% to Allred's 47%, with 5% undecided.

Nonpartisan forecaster The Cook Political Report recently moved the race from a "Likely Republican" one to a "Lean Republican" one, illustrating how competitive it has become.