New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is throwing her support behind Colin Allred as the Democrat seeks to upset Ted Cruz in the Texas Senate race. The lawmaker has joined Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive allies in an attempt to mobilize young supporters in the state as the campaign enters its final month.
The group visited the Texas State campus in San Marcos on Tuesday night as part of a three-day sprint that will also include rallies in San Antonio and Austin. They urged attendants to back both Allred and Kamala Harris, focusing largely on the need to defeat Donald Trump before being able to push for more profound change.
One of the main issues was the government's support of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. "I strongly disagree with them on their approach toward Gaza, for example, and other areas," Sanders said during a passage of his speech. "But what maturity requires is to understand that what we are fighting for is not just this or that policy. It is whether or not we retain the foundations of American democracy."
AOC, on her end, drew a similarity between the people opposing the Vietnam war and those protesting the situation in Gaza. "We have to send that message, when we deliver these victories, that we will not be entrenched in another generation of conflict and violence," she said. "We have to learn from that legacy. We are going to elect these leaders, and then we're going to demand that that will not happen again. It cannot happen again."
However, some Republicans argued that their presence could do more harm than good as Allred has sought to attract more moderate, independent voters, advocating for protecting jobs in the oil and gas sector and being tougher on border security.
His approach seems to be having a positive effect, as the Cook Political Report, one of the major independent, non-partisan elections and campaign analysis organizations, shifted the hotly-contested Senate race from "Likely Republican" to "Leaning Republican," signifying a close contest in the once-comfortable GOP territory.
Jessica Taylor, the forecaster's Senate and gubernatorial editor, said Allred's fundraising and ad spending, coupled with Cruz being on defense on abortion and a trip the senator took to Cancun during a severe winter storm in 2021, have helped Democrats in the state.
The U.S. Rep., who was relatively unknown statewide when he entered the race, has already built a substantial campaign, raising over $41 million by the end of June and surpassing Cruz in fundraising totals. He also received several high-profile endorsements from non-Democrats, including former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney.
Despite his efforts, however, Cruz is still favored to win. A polling average based on 32 surveys from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ shows Cruz leading the race by 2.9 percentage points, at 48% to Allred' 45%. That places the incumbent with a 75% chance of winning a third term, the news organization argues.
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