Overview

• Allred opened his campaign by highlighting rising living costs and warning that political corruption has rigged the economy against working families.
• He characterized Cornyn and rival Ken Paxton as “too corrupt to care about us and too weak to fight for us,” promising an “anti-corruption” plan and refusing corporate PAC money.
• He became the first high-profile Democrat to join the field, following retired astronaut Terry Virts and prompting interest from Beto O’Rourke, Joaquin Castro and James Talarico.
• Incumbent John Cornyn is battling Paxton in a contentious Republican primary, with both candidates seeking President Trump’s endorsement to secure conservative support.
• Texas Democrats see a protracted GOP nomination contest and a likely midterm backlash as key to ending a nearly four-decade drought in statewide Senate victories.