U.S. Representative Colin Allred, a Democrat from Dallas, is set to address the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, where he will express his support for Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee. Allred is running against Republican Senator Ted Cruz in a highly competitive Senate race in Texas.
Allred has opted to focus on Texas-centric issues during his campaign, distancing himself from wider Democratic strategies and avoiding close association with Harris. His previous speeches have centered on attacking Cruz without directly addressing Harris or her campaign. In a recent interview, Allred emphasized the importance of prioritizing Texas representation, acknowledging that the choice of candidate will impact the state for the next six years.
During his address, Allred will share the stage with fellow House Democrats in tight Senate contests, including Elissa Slotkin from Michigan and Ruben Gallego from Arizona, both of which are viewed as more competitive than Texas. Allred is scheduled to speak shortly before Harris concludes the convention.
Notable figures, including U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar and Kim Mata-Rubio, who lost her daughter in the Robb Elementary School shooting, will also be speaking at the event.
Allred’s connection to Harris has been complicated; while her historic candidacy may energize Democratic voters, he has been cautious about fully aligning with her to appeal to independent voters in the traditionally Republican state. He notably did not participate in any of Harris’s appearances in Texas and has not publicly endorsed her campaign, opting instead for a nuanced approach, especially since some potential voters may not be fans of Harris’s more progressive stance taken during her Senate tenure.
A recent poll by the University of Houston shows Allred trailing Cruz by just two points, a narrower margin than Cruz’s previous reelection against Beto O’Rourke in 2018. However, Harris’s campaign has not prioritized Texas as a battleground state and does not plan significant investment there, focusing instead on securing the necessary electoral votes for the presidency.
Allred has been managing his campaign without expecting substantial resources from the Democratic presidential campaign, which is typical for statewide campaigns in Texas. He reiterated the urgency of his campaign, focusing on the impact of who will serve Texas over the next six years.