“It’s gotten more dangerous to be a woman in Texas, and it’s Ted Cruz’s fault.”

DALLAS – Congressman Colin Allred launched a new digital ad for the general election, titled “Tragically Wrong.” In the ad, medical providers Dr. Kim Vernon (OB-GYN) and Dr. Allison Gilbert (OB-GYN) place the blame for Texas’ near total ban and the dangerous reality it has put Texas women and their doctors in directly on Ted Cruz. The ad will run in 30 and 15 second versions across digital platforms starting Wednesday, July 24. 

Cruz has a long record as one of the architects of the Texas ban. As a member of the Judiciary Committee he pushed for federal judges that would overturn Roe v. Wade, urged the court in an amicus brief to overturn Roe and used his platform to champion and endorse Texas politicians up and down the ballot who are directly responsible for the ban. Cruz has praised Texas’ near-total abortion ban, calling it “perfectly reasonable.” 

Cruz fought for years to overturn Roe v. Wade, authoring an extreme national abortion ban, and his explicit support of a total ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother. 

Click below to watch the ads.

Watch here.  

 

“Tragically Wrong” 30 Second Digital Ad Script:
 
Dr. Kim Vernon (Texas OB-GYN)
It’s gotten more dangerous to be a woman in Texas…
 
Dr. Allison Gilbert (Texas OB-GYN): 
And it’s Ted Cruz’s fault. He fought for an abortion ban that goes too far. 
 
Dr. Vernon: 
They didn’t just make it illegal to have an abortion, they made it illegal for me to do my job. 
 
Dr. Gilbert: 
So whether you were raped or something went tragically wrong and your life is at risk…
 
Dr. Vernon
Women are now forced to flee Texas for care. 
I’m not a political person…
 
Dr. Gilbert: 
But seeing what I’ve seen…
 
Dr. Vernon: 
I can never vote for Ted Cruz. 
 
Dr. Gilbert: 
I can never vote for Ted Cruz. 

Watch here. 

 

“Tragically Wrong” 15 Second Digital Ad Script:

Dr. Kim Vernon (Texas OB-GYN)
It’s gotten more dangerous to be a woman in Texas…
 
Dr. Allison Gilbert (Texas OB-GYN): 
And it’s Ted Cruz’s fault. So whether you were raped or something went tragically wrong and your life is at risk…
 
Dr. Vernon
Women are now forced to flee Texas for care. 
 
Dr. Gilbert: 
Seeing what I’ve seen…I can never vote for Ted Cruz.

DALLAS – Congressman Colin Allred announced he is launching Texas Offense, a statewide coordinated effort to defeat Ted Cruz. This effort is a partnership between the Texas Democratic Party and Colin Allred for Senate and is the first effort of its kind in more than 20 years. Texas Offense will coordinate volunteer efforts including organizing events, rallies, phone banks, block walking, voter registration and other get-out-the-vote efforts across Texas.

Allred will kick off this effort with an event in Houston on Sunday, July 28, marking 100 days from election day. He will be joined by his wife Alexandra Eber, former Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner, Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia, and Amanda Zurawski, lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas. There will also be events in other cities across the state.

“Throughout my football career at Baylor and the NFL, I’ve always played defense. But now, along with Texans from all across our state, we are fully on offense to beat Ted Cruz,” said Allred. “I am a fourth-generation Texan, and no matter what Ted Cruz says, this election is about giving 30 million Texans a Senator who will do the job for all of us. Our grassroots campaign of Texans is ready to win because we cannot afford six more years of Ted Cruz.”

“Texans across the state are fired up and ready to send Ted Cruz packing. Texas Offense will be working with state and local partners to empower Texans to take an active role in our historic grassroots movement by talking directly with their family, friends and neighbors about what is at stake this November, said Paige Hutchinson, Colin Allred for Senate Campaign Manager. “Whether it’s abortion rights, protecting Medicare and Social Security, securing our border, or simply wanting a Senator you can count on in a crisis, this campaign welcomes anyone who wants to get involved.”

“Texas Democrats are fired up and ready to beat Ted Cruz,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, Chair of the Texas Democratic Party. “This is a historic partnership that will help galvanize grassroots excitement for Congressman Allred across our state. One conversation at a time, with Texans talking to Texans – we are going to send Ted Cruz packing.”

Read more about this effort in the Texas Tribune, and visit the coordinated campaign’s website here: txoffense.com.

DALLAS – Today, Congressman Colin Allred launched a new ad for the general election, titled “Teammates.” In the ad, he is joined by his wife Alexandra Eber as they discuss Allred’s record as a team player who has worked for bipartisan results – including lowering drug costs for Texas families and legislation to secure the border. The TV ad will run in the Dallas TV market and on digital platforms starting Tuesday, July 23. 

Read the write up on the ad in D Magazine here. Click below to watch the ad. 

Watch here.

“Teammates” TV Ad Script:

Alexandra Eber:
Forks down.

Congressman Colin Allred:
Forks up!

Eber:
Warmer!

Allred:
Colder!

Eber:
Queso!

Allred:
Guac’s better.

Eber:
Raising two kids, Colin and I don’t always agree.

Allred:
But we always work together because that’s how you get things done.

Eber:
Like when you teamed up with the Republicans.

Allred:
To lower drug costs for Texas families.

Eber:
And that commonsense bill…

Allred:
…To secure the border.

Eber:
Our politics are broken, and we need a leader who’s fighting to fix it

Allred:
Not just one that’s fixing for a fight…
I’m Colin Allred, and I approve this message.

Eber:
Perfect!

DALLAS – This weekend, Congressman Colin Allred continued meeting Texans where they are in Dallas, Austin, San Marcos and Houston.

On Friday, Allred joined the The Elders of the 10th District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas and gave remarks honoring Senior Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, Jr. as he preached his last sermon in the 10th District as an active Bishop of the AME Church.

On Sunday, Allred joined a crowd of Texans fired up and ready to beat Ted Cruz, to help launch the Travis County Democratic Party coordinated campaign before heading to Hays County. Allred finished Sunday in Houston meeting with local leaders alongside Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.

On Monday, Allred gave remarks at the 88th annual American Federation of Teachers Convention (AFT) in Houston. He spoke to over 3,000 members of the  AFT and shared his story of being raised by a single mom who was a public school teacher in Dallas.

Dallas:

   

Austin:

   

San Marcos:

   

Houston:

   

DALLAS –  FEC reports filed today show Congressman Colin Allred’s campaign outraised Ted Cruz by $2.6 million in the second quarter of 2024. Allred’s campaign raised more than $10.5 million and ended the quarter with over $10.4 million cash-on-hand as the campaign has been airing TV ads in Houston, San Antonio, McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen and Laredo media markets along with digital ads statewide. 

“Congressman Allred has outraised Ted Cruz every quarter since he entered the race, and it is clear that his campaign has the grassroots support of Texans across our state behind him,” said Colin Allred for Senate Campaign Manager Paige Hutchinson. “Allred’s campaign is about bringing people together and this further proves that Texans are ready for a new kind of leadership in the Senate and to defeat Ted Cruz in November.” 

Quick stats since launch:

• Over 1 million individual contributions 
• Over $38.4 million in total receipts 
• Contributions from 250 of Texas’ 254 counties 
• Over 357,000 individual contributors
• Average donation: $35.59

These numbers reflect the amount brought into Allred’s campaign committee during the second FEC quarter of 2024 with the total of the report filed today – which spanned from April 1st to June 30th.

 

Allred: “I don’t see us so much as Democrats and Republicans or Independents… I see us as Texans, and I always have”

DALLAS – In a Nexstar election special that ran statewide in primetime last week, Congressman Colin Allred detailed his plans for addressing the key issues facing Texans in his campaign for U.S. Senate to defeat Ted Cruz. During the interview with KXAN’s Daniel Marin, Allred laid out his commonsense approach to solving the border crisis, fighting for Texans’ freedoms against the state’s extreme abortion ban and lowering costs for Texas families.  

Allred shared his story as a fourth-generation Texan and the importance of bringing Texans together. This was in sharp contrast to Ted Cruz who spent his time promoting his podcast, admitting he’d love to go to the private sector and “earn some money,” dodging questions on IVF and saying other strange things.  

Watch the special here and Allred’s full sit-down interview here. 

Allred on his Leadership Style and Vision for Texans

• “I think I know who we are as Texans and we are not who Ted Cruz says we are, or my story really wouldn’t have been possible. What I want to make sure is that every Texan knows who I am and how I want to bring us together as Texans, because the way I’ve served in Congress shows that it’s possible to serve while not pitting folks against each other.” 

• “Becoming a father and having two young children has fundamentally changed me in the way that every parent, I think can say the same, because it has extended my view into the future…I want to make sure that they…inherit a state and a country that’s not destroyed by divisions…but that fundamentally understands, as John Lewis used to tell us that we might have come here on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. We’re all Americans, we’re all Texans.” 

• “When I see Ted Cruz, I see somebody who…sees everything in such stark terms, it’s either black or it’s white, and he’s always going to be fighting. And to me, that’s not my experience of life, and I don’t think it is most Texans either.” 

• “I don’t see us so much as Democrats and Republicans or Independents… I see us as Texans, and I always have.” 

On the Border:

• “I’ve got a personal story with this because my family is from Brownsville, and my grandfather was a customs officer… I spent a lot of my childhood there. I’ve always seen our border communities as not just places where you go to point out problems but as places where real folks are living and trying to raise their families and where I think they expect us to have responsible responses to what’s happening.” 

• “We have to respond with smart policy. And this is where I get really frustrated, because I see Ted Cruz with a bipartisan effort in the United States Senate to bring billions of dollars to this issue… And he’s saying no…That, to me, has to be so outrageous to every single Texan.” 

• “We’re the United States of America, we’re Texans. This is not beyond our capacity to have a secure, fair border where we treat people in a humane way…We can do this, but we have to have leaders who actually want to.” 

On Lowering Costs for Texas Families:  

• “I know what it’s like to go through the checkout line and have to put things back because you couldn’t afford that this week. And I know what that feeling is, and as a parent now, I certainly understand how devastating that would be, to do that for my kids, and so that’s why I’ve always been so focused on lowering folks’ costs everywhere I can… Ted Cruz is somebody who I don’t think is interested at all in lowering folks’ everyday costs, who really is only looking out for the wealthiest and the best connected.” 

• “To me, when you want to talk about how can we best support families here in Texas we have to have a comprehensive system…It’s really hard, in Texas, to have a child and to be working and to keep providing for your family and that’s also costing us in terms of our economy. We’ve seen time and time again that when you have policies that are pro-family like early childhood care, like universal pre-K, like access to paid family leave, that it also has more of an economic impact.. and so to me, that’s the holistic approach that we have to take. 

On Reproductive Rights: 

• “…this is a law that has gone way too far, and this is the predictable outcome of what extremists like Ted Cruz have been saying for decades and now have made into a reality here in Texas… [We need to make] sure that women can make their own health care decisions about their bodies, in consultation with their doctors and with their faith.” 

• “We need to have a more fulsome conversation about how we can both protect life consistent…also with protecting individual rights…You have to have leaders in place who want to take that approach.” 

 

HOUSTON – On Friday and Saturday, Congressman Colin Allred visited communities grappling with the impacts of Hurricane Beryl. On Friday, Allred met with residents impacted by the storm, including Houstonians who suffered considerable damage to their homes. From there, Allred was briefed by officials from the American Red Cross on damage sustained by the storm and their continued recovery efforts. 

On Saturday, Allred traveled to Matagorda County to volunteer at their Emergency Operations Center. He met with and worked alongside members of the community to prepare supplies and joined a damage assessment of the area alongside local leaders.

“If there is anything I know about Texans, it’s that we’re resilient,” Allred said on social media. “The recovery effort from Hurricane Beryl is still ongoing, but I know we will get through this together.”

Houston: 

Sargent:

DALLAS –  Congressman Colin Allred released the following statement after Ted Cruz signed on to a Senate resolution this week “celebrating” the “historic anniversary” of the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision paved the way for Texas’ extreme abortion ban. 

“It is unconscionable for Ted Cruz to celebrate the fact that Texas women are being forced to flee the state while facing life threatening pregnancy complications,” said Allred. “Texas families are facing the consequences of Ted Cruz’s extreme abortion ban, and we will hold him accountable this November.”

Cruz waited more than two weeks after the Dobbs anniversary to sign on to the resolution, after last year praising the decision as “the culmination of a 50-year fight” to rip away women’s reproductive freedoms. He said its anniversary “will be celebrated for years to come.” 

Cruz has fought for years to overturn Roe v. Wade, is author of the extreme national abortion ban proposal, and explicitly supports a total ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother. Cruz celebrated the day that Roe was overturned as “nothing short of a massive victory.” He has praised Texas’ near-total abortion ban, calling it “perfectly reasonable.”

Allred has long championed protecting women’s right to access abortion, has been a leading voice against restricting women’s right to interstate travel, and has voted to codify Roe v. Wade’s protections to restore national abortion access. He also supports codifying protection for IVF in federal law and has worked to expand access to affordable birth control and over-the-counter contraception.

DALLAS – On Thursday, the Austin-American Statesman published a story highlighting Allred’s campaign momentum, bringing in over $10.5 million in the second quarter. The news comes alongside a new poll by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs and Texas Southern University which showed that the Senate race between Allred and Cruz is a statistical tie. This new poll is the third in three weeks to show the Texas Senate race within the margin of error.

From the Austin American Statesman:

• Allred’s campaign raised more than $10.5 million from April through June… Since launching his campaign more than a year ago, Allred has raised more than $38 million, about $20 million of that coming in 2024.

• Latest figures “[cement] the race’s status as one of the most expensive in the nation, and a new poll published Thursday shows it could also be one of the closest contests… a poll by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs and Texas Southern University shows Cruz holding a slim 3-point lead over Allred…The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 2.5%, which means Cruz and Allred are statistically tied.

• The Allred campaign insisted its fundraising totals for the past three months spell trouble for the two-term Republican incumbent and excitement for the Democrat… 

• 49% of respondents said they have a favorable opinion of Texas’ junior senator, 48% said the opposite. Allred’s favorability factor was 49% while 38% viewed him unfavorably.

• The [Allred] campaign has been running TV ads in…the media markets of Houston, San Antonio, McAllen-Harlingen-Brownsville, and Laredo. Digital ads are running statewide.

Read the full piece here.

DALLAS –  Congressman Colin Allred announced his campaign brought in over $10.5 million over the last three months in his campaign to defeat Ted Cruz. Allred has raised over $38 million since the launch of his campaign. Allred will report having more than $10 million cash-on-hand. This comes as the campaign continues to run TV ads in the Houston, San Antonio, McAllen-Harlingen-Brownsville, and Laredo markets, and digital advertising statewide.

“Texans are sending a clear message to Ted Cruz that they are ready to move on from him and his policies that are hurting Texas families, and that they are ready to elect Colin Allred to bring a new generation of leadership to the Senate,” said Colin Allred for Senate Campaign Manager Paige Hutchinson. “Our campaign is so thankful for the continued support of Texans from every corner of the state as we build a strong campaign to win in November. Texans are ready for a Senator who will reject Ted Cruz’s extremism and fight for their freedoms.” 

These numbers reflect the amount brought into Allred’s campaign committee during the second FEC quarter of 2024, which spanned from April 1st to June 30th.

Quick stats since launch:

• Over 1 million individual contributions 
• Over $38.4 million in total receipts 
• Contributions from 250 of Texas’ 254 counties 
• Over 357,000 individual contributors
• Average donation: $35.59

“This issue, we all know, is on the November ballot — and nowhere, we think, is it more plain than in the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.”

HOUSTON– On Monday, the Houston Chronicle published an op-ed by Dallas’ Dr. Kim D. Vernon and Houston’s Dr. Anitra Beasley. The piece details how their patients face a dangerous new reality in Texas, and blames Ted Cruz’s years-long effort to overturn Roe v. Wade and his support for Texas’ ban as the reason their patients cannot get the care they need.

From the Houston Chronicle Op-ed: 

• We began practicing reproductive health care because we felt women needed to be better represented and cared for medically. Now, practicing under Texas’ near-total ban on abortions, we are seeing the opposite of that. Because we face the threat of losing our medical licenses or even going to prison, doctors have been forced to turn away patients in need of our care.
• Before Roe was overturned, we were already having difficult conversations about patients’ limited options under Texas’ SB 8 law. In the wake of Dobbs, it’s gone mostly silent. Patients are no longer showing up. 
• Before Dobbs, women would come to us when they were ready to start a family. Since Dobbs, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women asking for permanent sterilization. They don’t want to risk the danger of becoming pregnant in our state.
• It is heartbreaking to see the trust and care built over time with our patients in these moments eroded by policies that paralyze us both. This is the reality in Texas.
• Extreme politicians without any medical knowledge or training should not be able to override licensed physicians simply because they decide to. It is ridiculous to suggest that a blanket ban could address all women and maternal situations.
• This issue, we all know, is on the November ballot — and nowhere, we think, is it more plain than in the race to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.
• Sen. Ted Cruz fought for years to overturn Roe v. Wade, working to elect members of the Legislature, endorse personhood amendments and approve federal judges to make it a reality. On the day of the Dobbs decision two years ago, he called it “nothing short of a massive victory.” He explicitly supports a total ban with no exceptions for rape, incest or health of the mother and he has called Texas’ abortion ban “perfectly reasonable.”
• There is nothing reasonable about what is happening to women and providers. That’s why in November, thousands of other doctors will join us in voting for Cruz’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. Texas women and doctors can’t go on this way.

Read the opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle here

“When there was actually a good plan backed by sheriffs and border officers, Republicans and Democrats, Ted Cruz said we don’t need a border bill.”

DALLAS – Today, Congressman Colin Allred launched a new ad for the general election, titled “All Hat, No Cattle,” which focuses on Allred’s record of pushing for bipartisan solutions at the border, and Ted Cruz’s refusal to solve the crisis and secure the border. The ad will run in the Houston, San Antonio, Harlingen-Brownsville-McAllen and Laredo TV markets starting Tuesday, July 9. Additionally a Spanish language version of the ad called “Cuenta Con Colin,” will air in the Harlingen-Brownsville-McAllen and Laredo TV markets and both versions will run statewide on digital platforms. 

In the ads, Allred is joined by border law enforcement officers who support Allred’s solution-oriented approach. 

Ted Cruz voted against the bipartisan border package in February and stated he opposed it because of the politics. Additionally, Cruz voted against a separate government funding package that was signed into law, which included millions in funding to hire a record 22,000 border patrol agents. After advocating against these solutions, he said, “we don’t need a border bill.”

Click below to watch the ad.

Watch here.

“All Hat No Cattle” TV Ad Script:

Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo:
When it comes to the border, Ted Cruz is all hat, no cattle.

El Paso County Constable Oscar Ugarte:
Colin Allred is tough

Sheriff Carrillo:
He’s standing up to extremists in both parties…

Deputy:
Both parties

Sheriff Carrillo:
When there was actually a good plan

Constable Ugarte:
Backed by Sheriffs and border officers

Sheriff Carrillo:
Republicans and Democrats. Ted Cruz said we don’t need a border bill.

Constable Ugarte:
12 years in the Senate and he still has no clue.

Congressman Allred:
I’m Colin Allred and I approve this message, because we don’t need talk on the border, we need action.

“Cuenta Con Colin” Spanish Language TV Ad Script:

Constable Ugarte:
Si vamos a proteger la frontera, requerirá mucho trabajo.
If we’re gonna protect the border, it’s gonna take a lot of work.

Sheriff Carrillo:
Necesitamos más agentes. Más recursos.
We need more agents. More resources.

Y un senador que va ser duro contra los carteles.
And a Senator that’ll get tough on cartels.

Constable Ugarte:
Es hora de actuar
It’s time to act 

Sheriff Carrillo:
Y confío en Colin Allred asegurar la frontera.
and I trust Colin Allred to secure the border.

Constable Ugarte:
El reformara nuestro sistema de inmigracion roto
He will reform our broken immigration system

Sheriff Carrillo:
Menos politica y mas trabajo
Less politics more work

Podemos contar con Colin,y tú también
We can count on Colin, and you can too. 

Congressman Colin Allred:
Soy Colin Allred y apruebo este mensaje.
I’m Colin Allred, and I approve this message.

Watch the Spanish-language TV ad here. 

Additional Background: 

Allred’s family is from Brownsville where his grandfather worked as a customs officer. In Congress, Allred has championed the recent bipartisan border security bill, and joined a Congressional task force to push for passage and other common-sense reforms to fix the broken immigration system, including the bipartisan Dignity Act. He recently introduced a bill calling for the assessment of staffing needs at the border. He has also stood up to Biden on his handling of the border.