Former congressman Colin Allred highlighted working-class struggles, while U.S. Representative James Talarico calls for ‘new blood’ in politics.
TEXAS, USA — Former Congressman Colin Allred and State Rep. James Talarico are both making their case to Texans as they campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.
Allred drew a crowd of more than 70 supporters on Wednesday at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco. The Dallas Democrat, who previously challenged Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, said this race feels different.
“We need to be a party that stands for working folks who are doing the right things, who are trying to get ahead, and who think that if they work hard and play by the rules, they should be able to chase their version of the American dream,” Allred said.
Allred has pitched a 12-point anti-corruption plan and framed his campaign around Texans who, he says, keep the state running but are being left behind.
“I want to earn folks’ support, and I want to earn it based on concrete plans and ideas of what we can do to give folks a chance so that they can get ahead,” Allred said.
Meanwhile, one of his opponents, Rep. James Talarico, announced his Senate run earlier this week with a campaign stop in Longview. Talarico said Texans are ready for new leadership.
“People across the political spectrum are ready for new blood in our politics. They want new leadership in our government,” Talarico said. “There’s something broken in America. Our economy is broken. Our politics are broken. Even our relationships with each other feel broken.”
Talarico argues the biggest divide is not left versus right, but “top versus bottom,” pointing to billionaires and special interests he says have rigged the system.
“The most powerful people in the world want it that way,” he said. “But we will not be conquered.”
Both candidates are courting voters across the state ahead of the Democratic primary in March, when Texans will decide who moves forward in the race for Senate.