Ted Cruz maintains a slight edge in his Texas Senate race in the home stretch before Election Day, with the last poll before the contest still showing him ahead of his contender, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred.
Conducted by Morning Consult between October 22 and 31 among 2,120 likely voters, the survey shows Cruz getting 47% of the support, compared to Allred's 44%. Four other polls released during the week show similar scenarios, with the incumbent ahead by three or four percentage points.
The candidates continued pushing their message during their final campaign weekend. Cruz went to El Paso and McAllen to address Latino-heavy populations near the border, while Allred sought to mobilize supporters in his hometown of Dallas.
Speaking at a jet terminal in El Paso, Cruz said unlawful border crossings are "the worst invasion in our nation's history" and told attendees that "coming to El Paso and telling you about the border is a little bit like going to Noah and telling you about the flood — you know!"
And at a burger restaurant in McAllen, Cruz said Allred supports what he described as the Biden administration's "open borders" policies. He also took on his opponent for his voting record on oil and gas. "I have spent 12 years as the leading defender of oil and gas in the United States Senate," Cruz said in the rally, in which he was joined by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
Allred, on his end, held an event at the Kessler Theater, where he said Cruz has put his personal ambitions ahead of the state's needs. "You don't have to spend all of your time pitting folks against each other," Allred said during a passage of his speech.
"That's my biggest issue with Ted Cruz. It's that he spent 12 years not trying to serve us, but 12 years getting attention for himself and finding the seams in our society and pulling them apart for his own benefit."
Allred has been touting endorsements from former Republicans as he seeks to portray himself as a moderate candidate able to reach out across the aisle. He has been endorsed by the Dallas Morning News, whose board said that while there were areas where they felt more aligned with Cruz, they ultimately felt Cruz failed to measure up to Allred where it mattered most.
Allred has also been endorsed by Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney. Kinzinger famously departed from the mainstream GOP after the January 6 Assault on the Capitol, even serving on the House committee that investigated the events. He was also one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 elections and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August of this year.
Cheney, who also left her seat in 2022, recently highlighted that Cruz can't be trusted. "I know (Cruz) will say anything if it serves his own political purpose," she added in the interview with WFAA in September.
Cruz, in contrast, scored the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with the group making the announcement during a tour through the state. "As a leader in the U.S. Senate, Ted Cruz has been a champion for pro-growth policies that help Texas businesses, individuals, and families achieve their American dream," said Neil Bradley, the group's executive vice president and chief policy officer.
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