With 99% of polling locations across Texas reporting results, Republican Ted Cruz is set to serve another six years in the U.S. Senate. Cruz defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred by nearly nine percentage points, a considerable increase from his narrow win over Beto O'Rourke in 2018.
At his election night watch party in Dallas, Allred told supporters he had conceded to Cruz.
"Tonight, I called Ted Cruz and congratulated him on his victory," Allred said. "It shouldn't be remarkable to have to admit defeat. But in today's politics, it's becoming rarer and rarer."
The details
Cruz secured 53.15% of the vote, according to unofficial results, while Allred received 44.46%. Libertarian Ted Brown, a small business owner, collected 2.37% of the vote.
"Tonight, the people of Texas have spoken," Cruz said to cheers from supporters during his victory speech in Houston. "And their message rings clear as a bell across our great state: Texas will remain Texas."
Cruz pledged to tighten border security, preserve his constituents' First Amendment rights and ensure Texas remains a national energy leader.
"To all of those who didn't support me, you have my word that I will fight for you, your jobs, your safety and for your constitutional rights," he said.
Zooming in
On the campaign trail, Cruz presented himself as an experienced conservative, having spent 12 years in the U.S. Senate and 5 years as Texas' solicitor general. He characterized his opponent as "radical" and "too extreme" for Texas.
Allred, a former NFL linebacker, ran as a moderate Democrat and tried to distance himself from the national Democratic party, despite assertions from Cruz that "Colin Allred is Kamala Harris." He touted endorsements from Republicans, including former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who represented Wyoming.
"There are so many brave Texas women who told their stories," Allred said Nov. 5, referring to women who spoke about how Texas' abortion restrictions impacted their health. "[My wife], Aly, and I will never forget them, and we will never stop fighting to overturn this abortion ban here in Texas."
Texans have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office in 30 years.
According to unofficial results, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz won reelection Nov. 5, defeating Democratic challenger Colin Allred and securing his third term in the U.S. Senate.
What you need to know
With 244 of Texas' 254 counties and 3,397 of 5,807 polling locations reporting results, Cruz won with 54.29% of the vote, or 5,419,715 votes. Allred collected 43.54% of the vote, or 4,346,435 votes, while Libertarian Ted Brown had 2.15% of the vote, or 215,076 votes.
Cruz campaigned on the promise to uphold conservative values and "keep Texas, Texas," while Allred ran as a moderate Democrat and a champion of abortion rights.
"Millions of Texans joined together to Keep Texas, Texas," Cruz said in a social media post. "I will fight to represent all 30 million Texans in the U.S. Senate and fight for jobs, freedom, and security."
Quote of note
Surveys of registered voters showed a tighter race going into Election Day. In a University of Houston poll released Oct. 15, Cruz led Allred by four percentage points.
"I think part of us wanted to make it look a little more dire, like, 'really help Ted Cruz win,'" said Andy Hogue, communications director for the Travis County Republican Party. "The work we do in Travis County—even though we may not win a majority of races with Travis, what we contribute to the overall vote count really makes a difference."
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all state and local elections in your community.
Updated 9:35 p.m. Nov. 5
With 192 of Texas' 254 counties and 1,205 of 5,810 polling locations reporting results, Republican incumbent Ted Cruz leads the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate with 55.51% of the vote.
Democratic challenger Colin Allred has 42.55% of the vote, while Libertarian Ted Brown has 1.93% of the vote.
Posted 7:25 p.m. Nov. 5
According to unofficial early results, Republican incumbent Ted Cruz is leading the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate with 78.21% of the vote.
The details
Cruz is seeking a third term as Texas' junior U.S. senator. Each state has two U.S. senators—Cruz currently serves alongside Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Democrat Colin Allred, a third-term congressman from Dallas and former NFL linebacker, has 20.25% of the vote. If elected, Allred would be Texas’ first Black U.S. senator. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994.
Libertarian Ted Brown, a small-business owner and former chair of the Libertarian Party of Travis County, has 1.53% of the vote.
Cruz and Allred sparred over abortion, immigration and more during an Oct. 15 debate in Dallas.
Stay tuned
This article will be updated as more voting totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
