Ted Cruz Says ‘We Need a Big Turnout’ as Texas Polls Show Allred Could Win

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has called for “a big turnout in rural Texas” to help him fight off a November 5 challenge from Democrat Colin Allred, who currently sits in the House.
The Republican made the remark in an interview with local media outlet The Texan, in which he also claimed that African American men are “moving red” across the United States.
Republicans are hoping to seize the Senate in November’s elections after failing to do so in 2022 when a widely forecast “red wave” failed to materialize. There are currently 51 Democratic aligned Senators, versus 49 for the Republicans, though the GOP is widely expected to pick up the West Virginia seat currently occupied by Joe Manchin who is not seeking reelection. Cruz’s Senate seat, which he only held by less than three percent of the vote in 2018, is one of the most vulnerable to being flipped by the Democrats.
Speaking to The Texan, Cruz emphasized the importance of rural voters to his reelection prospects, though he also said he was fighting in suburbs and the cities.
He said: “Rural Texas is incredibly important. In 2018, we won 75 percent of the vote here in Washington County. I hope we drive that up even higher. I’d like to see 80-85 percent and we need big turnout.
“We need a big turnout in rural Texas. We need a big turnout in East Texas and West Texas. But I’ll tell you, we’re making inroads. South Texas is turning red. It’s really exciting to see the valley turning red, and I’ll tell you, we’re fighting in the suburbs. We’re fighting in the cities.”
Following reports that Donald Trump has boosted his support with Black and Hispanic voters, Cruz added: “All across the country, we’re seeing African American men who are realizing that Kamala Harris and Colin Allred’s policy agenda has failed them. We’re seeing them moving red, and we’re seeing Hispanic voters all love Texas moving Republican as well. I’m excited about election day.”
These remarks were shared on X by Brad Johnson, managing editor of The Texan. Newsweek contacted Senator Cruz and Representative Allred’s election campaigns for comment via email on Thursday outside of regular business hours.
Cruz has a lead over Allred of between one and seven points according to recent surveys. A polling analysis by election website FiveThirtyEight, published on Thursday, gave Cruz a 3.3 point lead with 48.9 percent of the vote against 45.5 percent for Allred.
Data from the University of Florida’s election lab showed that as of October 30, 7,609,107 votes had been cast in Texas for the presidential contest either early in person, or as mail-in ballots. Unlike some other states Texas does not release this data with party registration.
According to figures from their respective campaigns Allred raised $30.3 million for his Senate race during the third quarter of 2024, substantially ahead of Cruz, who received $21 million across three accounts.