Texas Senator Ted Cruz wins a third term in the US Senate

HOUSTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas won re-election on Tuesday, defeating the latest attempt by Democrats and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred to end decades of GOP dominance in the booming state that has become the focus of contention this election year immigration And abortion.

Cruz, 53, secured a third term just six years later after another expensive re-election campaign narrowly against Beto O'Rourke. This time, Cruz implored Republicans to take his race seriously. He tried to present himself to Texas voters as an ambitious lawmaker, a far cry from his reputation as an uncompromising firebrand with national ambitions.

Although votes were still being counted early Wednesday, Cruz was flirting with a double-digit lead over Allred, a margin far larger than his victory over O'Rourke by less than three percentage points. Cruz's victory helped Republicans Secure control of the US Senate For the first time in four years.

Walking out to the song “Eye of the Tiger,” Cruz addressed his supporters at his watch party in Houston on Tuesday night.

“Tonight the people of Texas have spoken, and their message rings like a bell across our great state: Texas will remain Texas,” Cruz said to cheers from the crowd, many of whom held signs reading “Keep Texas Texas.”

Cruz thanked his wife and supporters. Cruz also thanked Allred for a hard-fought campaign and pledged to protect the freedoms and values ​​of all Texans, including those who did not support him.

“I want to say to everyone who didn’t support me: you have my word, I will fight for you, your jobs, your safety and for your constitutional rights,” he said.

Cruz, who stressed the importance of law and order on the campaign trail, was flanked on stage by a prominent Democratic supporter – Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, the top prosecutor in Texas' most populous county.

Allred, a former NFL linebacker who would have been Texas' first black senator, carried a moderate banner while largely keeping both Vice President Kamala Harris and progressive supporters at arm's length. He praised the support of Republicans – including former Rep. Liz Cheney – and ran as a champion of abortion rights in a state with one of the strictest bans in the country.

In his concession speech at his watch party in Dallas, Allred said he called Cruz and congratulated him on his victory.

“It shouldn’t be anything special to have to admit defeat,” he said. “You can’t just be a patriot when your team wins. We didn’t win tonight, but we will continue to be patriots.”

His campaign faced early criticism from some Democrats who grew restless over Allred's strategy of not filling his schedule with loud rallies or investing more in smaller parts of Texas, including cities along Texas's border with Mexico.

Cruz performed significantly better against Allred than he did against O'Rourke six years ago, including a much stronger performance predominantly Hispanic counties along the U.S.-Mexico border.

It was the latest failed attempt by Texas Democrats, who haven't won a statewide race in 30 years, the longest losing streak in the country.

Despite Texas' reliably red reputation, Democrats had hoped to capitalize on the state's changing demographics, which include a growing Hispanic and black population and an influx of residents from other states.

Four in 10 Texas voters said the economy and jobs were the country's biggest problem, according to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of more than 110,000 voters across the country, including more than 4,500 voters in Texas. About two in 10 Texas voters said immigration was the most pressing issue, and about one in 10 cited abortion.

Cruz, who ran for president in 2016, originally came to the Senate after a stint as Texas attorney general. In 2020, he launched a popular podcast called “Verdict” in which he defended then-President Donald Trump during his impeachment.

Allred was a star high school athlete from Dallas who played linebacker at Baylor University in Waco before a career in the NFL and then a career as a civil rights attorney. He also had experience defeating a Republican incumbent, having won a U.S. House seat in Dallas in 2018 that was held for more than two decades by Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions.