SEATTLE - The race for the Texas Senate seat in November is much narrower than initially expected, with Ted Cruz facing a close challenge to hold on to his seat. In this context, Cruz tried to fend off what will perhaps by the best chance of his opponent, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, to sway votes before the elections: the debate.
Cruz and Allred debated each other at WFAA's studio in downtown Dallas. For almost an hour, both candidates maintained a heated discussion about issues important to Texas voters, including abortion rights, immigration, transgender rights and the current economic landscape of the U.S.
These are the main takeaways from the often-heated exchange.
Abortion bans
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 2022 to strip away constitutional protections for abortion, abortion rights have been a huge focus for both political parties across the nation, Texas included.
When asked about his stance on abortion rights for Texans, Cruz did not directly answer but instead touched on other issues related to abortion. Cruz mentioned that in Texas, "we overwhelmingly support" that parents get notified when a child gets an abortion. In his statement, Cruz accused Democrats of using taxpayer money to pay for abortions.
I’m supporting @ColinAllredTX in tonight’s debate! He stands up for women’s rights, makes health care affordable, and fights for every Texan. Unlike Ted Cruz, he’ll protect reproductive freedom, create jobs, and advocate for our communities. We’re moving forward, and we won’t go…
— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) October 16, 2024
Allred said that, if elected, he'd seek to restore Roe v. Wade and make access to abortion the "law of the land," to which Cruz rebutted by saying that Allred had an extreme position on the topic, arguing that Allred sponsored legislation that would allow abortions to take place during the final two months of a pregnancy.
Immigration
Another topic in which both Cruz and Allred heavily touched on was immigration. Texas' junior senator made several mentions of his work alongside former President Donald Trump on securing the border. Cruz said during Trump's presidency, the U.S. had the "lowest immigration rate in over 45 years".
He made reference of recent crimes committed by illegal immigrants to highlight the dangers of Biden and Kamala Harris' "open border" policy. In particular, Cruz talked about the case of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl from Houston that was murdered by two Tren de Aragua gang members in June. Allred, in turn, blasted Cruz for voting against the bipartisan border security bill after former President Donald Trump spoke against it.
Economy
As food prices continue to rise, Allred was asked why he did not sign a letter from members of Congress asking the president to lower food prices and about his plan to bring those prices down. The Democrat said that supply chain and consumption issues from the pandemic still exist, and added that agencies responsible for investigating price gouging need to investigate.
In response, Cruz said that endorsements from the Texas Farm Bureau show constituents that he continues to fight for lower costs of energy that would bring the costs of food down.
Cruz linked the increase of food and housing to the issue of immigration, saying that nothing is driving up costs "as powerfully" as 11.5 million illegal immigrants that have "been allowed in the country by Democrats."
Colin Allred voted 100% with Nancy Pelosi during his first four years in Congress.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 16, 2024
He voted 100% with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during their first two years in office.
Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/s12rRY5IsY
Final remarks
During their final remarks, Cruz cataloged the stakes of this year's elections as "the highest in his lifetime" and blamed Allred and presidential candidate Kamala Harris as "running on the same radical agenda."
Cruz went on to add that Allred has pledged to be the 50th vote to end the filibuster, the requirement that 60 votes were needed to pass legislation in the Senate and Democrats would then "strike down every Republican voter integrity law in the country."
On the other hand, Allred continued blaming Cruz, repeatedly mentioning throughout the debate that his Republican opponent has been "one of the most divisive senators in the U.S. for 12 years" and ridiculed Cruz for going to Cancun, Mexico, when millions of Texans relied on him to take action after they lost power.
Despite a close race, Cruz remains ahead in practically all polls and is favored to win next month. The latest poll shows Cruz ahead by four percentage points. Conducted by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs among 1,328 likely voters, the poll shows the incumbent getting 50% of the support compared to Allred's 46%. Libertarian Ted Brown gets 1%.
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