Can Allred do what Beto couldn’t? TX Democrats would love to unseat Cruz, but hold on | Opinion

It’s tricky to be a successful Democrat in Texas. Texans, especially those outside major metropolitan areas, tend to be more conservative. Beto O’Rouke has infamously tried twice, coming the closest to victory in 2018 when he ran for U.S. Senate against Sen. Ted Cruz.

Now that he’s secured the Democratic nomination, Rep. Colin Allred will be hoping to do what O’Rourke could not.

“Ted Cruz has had 12 years of pitting us against each other. It’s time we had a senator who will bring us together,” Allred said in his victory speech after winning without a runoff against eight other opponents — an impressive feat.

Texans haven’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in Texas since 1994. In 2018, O’ Rourke lost to Cruz, 50.9%–48.3%, mostly because he was too progressive and inexperienced.

Allred is more moderate and has had about the same amount of experience in Congress. He might be a much more interesting and compelling example of a Democrat who could succeed where O’Rourke failed. Allred’s got a much more mild personality, moderate takes on issues like the border, and an endearing personal story. To put it another way, if people vote for the person they’d like to have a beer with, would you rather have a beer with a former professional football player from Baylor or the guy who was a Princeton debate whiz?

On paper, Allred has all the makings of a political success story: a Black man who grew up with a single mom, Allred was a linebacker for the Baylor Bears and later enjoyed four seasons with the Tennessee Titans before going to law school at the University of California, Berkeley. Allred has been representing parts of the Dallas area in Congress since 2018.

When our Editorial Board interviewed Allred and his competitors, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez must have known he was floundering in the polls. He took pot shots at Allred, but Allred didn’t take the bait. Not once. He didn’t need to — he knew he’d likely secure the nomination, and there’s no point in risking any capital making mistakes — but that amount of self-control is impressive. Especially for a politician. In short, Allred’s story could easily make the plot of the next hit political show on HBO.

Except for one pesky thing: Allred’s stands on the issues.

The problem with voting for the person you want to have a beer with is that you shouldn’t vote for politicians based on likability or whether or not you’d like to chum around with them. That’s what family and friends are for. Sure, elected officials should be able to represent your ideas — in this case, the entire state to the U.S. Senate — but as is the case with a state as diverse as Texas, that’s a tall order for anyone, even a politician.

Ted Cruz may not be the most likable candidate. Sometimes he puts his foot in his mouth, or he seems like that smarmy, typical, Washington guy. Worse, he jets to Cancun when times get tough in Texas, albeit just the once. But he’s had his finger on the pulse of issues Texans care about — like the border, immigration, bolstering defense — especially this last year.

He’s supported the military, been strong on the border, and tough on social media companies on behalf of our nation’s kids. And he doesn’t want the government meddling in things like how much beer you should drink.

He may not be the guy you actually want to sip a drink with, but you don’t have to — you just have to know he’s supporting the right things you care about in the Senate. And for all the flak he gets, he certainly represents conservatives’ views more than Allred does.

Allred seems like a nice, talented guy, and he represents the northeast side of Dallas County — a more liberal constituency — well. This is important. But his views generally don’t represent swaths of more conservative parts of Texas, outside our major cities.

On the border, Allred isn’t tough enough and embraces more liberal policies. He said instituting a border wall was racist, supports sanctuary cities, and wants a path to citizenship for those who are illegally in the U.S, something many conservatives may oppose.

After the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Allred called for aid to Gaza, even though funds would help Hamas. Allred is actually so far to the left, in Congress during his first four years, he voted in alignment with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the entire time.

In 2018, when O’Rourke lost, some Democrats still succeeded: Several Democratic candidates won due to the down-ballot effect. O’Rourke set the record for most votes ever cast for a Democrat in Texas history. Allred will try to do the same thing — only he’ll hope to win. Texans shouldn’t be fooled by the Hollywood effect Allred may have on voters, and they should remember: Nobody drinks beer with politicians anyway.

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