DALLAS — Colin Allred celebrated a win in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate by inviting a broad coalition of Texans to join his campaign.
Just moments into his victory speech he courted crossover voters saying, “I want every Texan to know whether you’re a democrat, independent or republican, I want to serve you in the U.S. Senate.”
Allred wore his bipartisanship as a badge throughout his primary campaign and told WFAA on Wednesday morning that strategy won’t change as he campaigns against Ted Cruz.
“I pride myself on reaching across the aisle, trying to find ways and common ground in a way I think is the exact opposite of Sen. Cruz who is one of the most partisan, if not the most partisan senators in the country,” Allred said. “When we have a crisis at the border and we have a package in the senate that tried to address that crisis, he takes that package down not because of the policies but because of the politics.”
But Cruz unveiled his own new strategy Wednesday: Democrats for Cruz.
The coalition is made of Democrats who will “work to get out the vote for Senator Cruz,” according to the Cruz campaign.
An ad featuring nine Texans will run on digital platforms in key counties, the campaign said.
One of the Texans in the ad is Marty McVey of Houston.
McVey told WFAA he is a businessman who supports Cruz’s record on the two issues McVey deems most important: the economy and energy policy.
“In 2024, Ted Cruz will be the only Republican I cross over and vote for,” he said.
He said he’s only voted Republican on very few occasions.
“It was not an easy decision to me, but for me it is the best decision,” McVey said.
“These Texans know that today’s Democrat Party is not what it used to be," Cruz said in a statement. “They understand that electing a radical leftist like Colin Allred would be catastrophic to our state and nation because this race is not about Republican or Democrat, it is about making sure that we keep Texas, Texas -- no matter what it takes."
Allred said he believes the majority of Texans don’t want both political parties to be pulled further to the extremes.
“They want somebody who can reach across the aisle and who can get things done because they go to work every single day with folks they disagree with," Allred said. "They have to find a way to get things done and I think part of the cynicism we’ve seen creep into our politics and democracy is because of hyper-partisanship and because of folks like Ted Cruz.”