Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred is getting another electoral boost from a Republican as he seeks to upset Ted Cruz in the state Senate race: former Rep. Adam Kinzinger's, who will co-chair a group called Republicans for Allred.
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. He withdrew his reelection bid in 2022 after his Illinois district was eliminated from the congressional map and moved to Texas.
Cruz's campaign dismissed the announcement in a statement, calling it "another fake, feel-good vanity project." "You don't have to look any further than the co-chair, Adam Kinzinger, a disgruntled former congressman who is on a vindictive rampage against everyone with an 'R' next to their name to know how deeply unserious and pathetic this is," it added.
The backing adds to others who have publicly supported the Democrat as he closes the gap with Cruz a little over a month from the elections. Another high-profile former Republican Rep. to have done so is Liz Cheney, who said 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 also made the headlines recently after endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump and revealing that her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, had done so as well. "Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris," she announced in early September.
Going back to Allred, 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."
The Democrat is seemingly gaining momentum. On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report, one of the major independent, non-partisan elections and campaign analysis organizations, shifted the hotly-contested Senate race from "Likely Republican" to "Leaning Republican," signifying a close contest in the once-comfortable GOP territory.
Jessica Taylor, the forecaster's Senate and gubernatorial editor, said Allred's fundraising and ad spending, coupled with Cruz being on defense on abortion and a trip the senator took to Cancun during a severe winter storm in 2021, have helped Democrats in the state.
However, he still faces an uphill battle winning the seat. A polling average based on 32 surveys from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ shows Cruz leading the race by 2.9 percentage points, at 48% to Allred' 45%. That places the incumbent with a 75% chance of winning a third term, the news organization argues.
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