Ted Cruz and Colin Allred called each other too extreme for Texas on Tuesday in a fiery debate in Dallas, their only planned meeting ahead of the November election.
Why it matters: Cruz, a Republican seeking his third Senate term, said Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas, was a threat to the Texas oil and gas industry and “voted for open borders over and over again.”
- Allred said Cruz has been one of the most divisive and least productive senators, and a “threat to democracy.”
State of play: Cruz tied Allred to the top of the Democratic ticket: “Understand this at home: Colin Allred is Kamala Harris,” Cruz said.
- Allred needled Cruz for flying to Cancún, Mexico, during the deadly 2021 Texas freeze: “He talks tough, but he never shows up. We have a phrase for this in Texas: All hat and no cattle. Six more years of this? Come on.”
Context: Allred appealed to moderate voters by touting his bipartisan credentials, saying over 70% of the bills he’s cosponsored have been bipartisan.