Former Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred suspended his run to unseat Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Monday, citing the need to prevent a contested primary that could hurt the eventual Democratic nominee.
Allred, who launched a second Senate run following a failed 2024 bid, said he would run for a newly-drawn Dallas-based congressional district created by Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting effort. Allred’s decision to exit the race comes as Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett is expected to announce her plans about whether to run for Senate later Monday.
“I am deeply moved by the personal stories and trust that so many Texans have placed in me. I’m forever grateful and believe it comes with heavy responsibility,” Allred, a former NFL linebacker, said in a statement. “That’s why I’ve made the difficult decision to end my campaign for Senate and run to represent the newly drawn CD-33.”
Monday is the filing deadline to run in the Texas primaries. The Democratic Senate primary election is set for March 3, 2026.
Allred, who served three terms in the House between 2019 and 2025, consistently trailed Democratic state legislator James Talarico in polling and fundraising. Talarico, who is notably also studying to become a Christian pastor, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and raised more than $6 million in the first three weeks of his campaign.
Allred filed to run in one-term Democratic Texas Rep. Julie Johnson’s Dallas-based district. Johnson — who directly succeeded Allred in the House when he vacated his seat in 2024 to run for the Senate — said she will run for reelection, setting up a high-profile Democratic primary clash.
Crockett’s likely entry into the race will also increase the likelihood of a runoff election, which could hurt Democrats’ chances of flipping Cornyn’s seat. If no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, the top two-vote getters would have to vie against each other in a May runoff election.
The three-way race between Cornyn, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt is also expected to head to a runoff.
Crockett, who has been inching closer to a Senate run over the past several months, called Allred and Talarico to discuss internal polling last week, the Dallas Morning News first reported.
“The numbers say what I’ve said publicly: they say I can win,” Crockett told the outlet.
Crockett also came on top of the Democratic primary field in a hypothetical matchup, according to an October University of Houston-Texas State University poll. Thirty-one percent of Democratic primary voters backed Crockett followed by O’Rourke and Talarico at 25%. Allred registered just 13% support.
Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz trounced Allred in November 2024 despite the Texas Democrat raising north of $80 million. Allred notably flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018 as part of a massive wave election for Democrats.
Democrats must flip four seats and defend Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff in order to regain Senate control during the midterm elections.
Democrats have not won a statewide office in Texas in over three decades.
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