Republicans enter the 2024 Senate races needing to pick up two seats to regain control, but a loss in the Lone Star State could threaten their prospects.
When Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) announced his candidacy in May 2023 to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Cruz was considered in some quarters to be the most vulnerable GOP Senate incumbent in the 2024 election.
Now, 15 months later, amid the August heat and with the campaign about to enter the decisive post-Labor Day phase, Cruz is maintaining a consistent lead of five to seven points among surveys of Texas voters while Allred, the former NFL linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, has been unusually quiet.
The race remains among the most watched because, with the Senate presently divided 51–49, Republicans need only gain a couple of seats to regain a majority. Twelve incumbent GOP senators—including Cruz—must face voters in November, and losing just one seat could make the difference for Republicans.
The Dallas Democrat has been silent during a dramatic past month, in which President Joe Biden dropped his reelection effort following a lackluster debate performance against former President Donald Trump, who subsequently survived an assassination attempt, and Vice President Kamala Harris quickly got the