Ted Cruz and Colin Allred traded barbs at the Texas Senate debate from the get go, with each candidate taking on his opponent over their diverging views on a range of issues.
Speaking from the WFAA studio in Dallas, Allred blasted his opponent for, among other things, rejecting a bipartisan border security bill and "standing in the way of efforts to lower prescription drug costs, raise wages and lower prices across the board."
Cruz, on his end focused on Allred's stance on the Israel-Gaza war and said he has "supported men playing in women's sports."
"Border communities are real places where folks are trying to raise their families and get ahead. Senator Cruz treats it like he's going on a safari. He puts on his outdoor clothes and tries to look tough. He does nothing to help. We had the toughest border security bill in a generation, which allocated $20 billion for border security. But he said 'we don't need a border bill,'" Allred said during the exchange.
Time and again, Ted Cruz has stood in the way of bipartisan efforts to lower prescription drug costs, raise wages, and lower prices across the board.
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) October 16, 2024
It doesn’t have to be this way. Texans are ready to vote him out. #TXSenateDebate pic.twitter.com/tcq4YpkFFT
As for Cruz, he focused on drawing a contrast between him and Allred on their stance on the Israel-Hamas war, blasting his opponent for what he said was not a strong enough support for Israel.
"See his votes against providing weapons to Israel. You can see the letter he signed with over 100 left-wing Democrats saying 'please send money to Gaza' even though it will go to Hamas and will be used for terrorism. I led 19 senators saying 'don't send money to Gaza because it will be used for terrorism," Cruz said.
Colin Allred sent a letter to the Biden-Harris administration, begging them to send money to Gaza.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 16, 2024
The Biden-Harris administration's own State Department determined it was highly likely that the money would be used for terrorism. Sadly, Democrats sent the money anyway. pic.twitter.com/Qm3ki1YXuS
"We now know how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris solved that. The administration concluded it was highly likely the money would be used for terrorism but sent it anyway. You don't hear anything Congressman Allred has done. What I've done is authored and passed 101 pieces of legislation including targeting Hamas. I stand with Israel," he added.
When closing his participation, Allred said "Texans need a Senator we can count on." "A Senator who will fight to create jobs, who will protect Social Security and Medicare, who will secure the border and who will restore access to abortion. Ted Cruz doesn't care about any of that, he only cares about himself."
Cruz, on his end, republished a series of messages declaring him the winner of the debate and calling his supporters to vote for him.
The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan forecaster, considers the race a "Lean Republican" race after Allred got close over the months. Cruz, however, is still ahead in practically all polls and favored to win.
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, it shows the incumbent getting 50% of the support compared to Allred's 46%. Libertarian Ted Brown gets 1%.
The figure is largely consistent with other surveys released over the past weeks, where Cruz leads in the low single digits.
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