AUSTIN, Texas (AP) 鈥� Democrats in search of were watching Texas closely on Super Tuesday to see whom voters nominate against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, whose underdog challengers have cast as vulnerable after a .
, a former NFL player and three-term congressman from Dallas, and have drawn most of the attention in a primary that again finds Texas Democrats in pursuit of a breakthrough candidate. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest losing streak of its kind in the U.S.
Despite that, Democrats believe Texas and Florida are their best shot for upsets in November as they try to preserve a slim 51-49 advantage in the Senate. That majority includes , who is not seeking reelection and whose seat is likely to flip Republican.
Seven other Democrats are also running in the Senate primary in Texas, including state Rep. Carl Sherman. The race heads to a May 28 runoff if no candidate wins a vote majority.
Cruz faced no major primary opponent and officially locked up the GOP nomination for a third term Tuesday.
Allred, who would become Texas' first Black senator if elected, has raised more than $21 million since getting in the race. That's significantly more than his primary challengers, whom the civil rights lawyer has largely ignored during the primary while keeping his attacks focused on Cruz.
Allred, 40, made headlines in January when he was among 14 House Democrats who backed a Republican resolution in Congress that criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the border. Gutierrez criticized Allred for the vote, accusing him of siding 鈥渨ith GOP extremists," and Cruz spokesperson Macarena Martinez called the vote a 鈥渄isingenuous attempt to posture on the border.鈥�
Allred said he did not agree with all the language in the resolution but said he wanted to see more urgency at the federal level when it comes to the border.
鈥淔or me, it was about sending a signal that, you know, what we have been doing is not working,鈥� Allred said in an interview last week during early voting in Texas. "We have to change something."
Cruz only for reelection in 2018 by less than 3 percentage points. It was the closest Democrats have come in decades to winning a statewide seat and happened during a midterm election that wound up being a strong year for Democrats nationally.
Texas Democrats have struggled to recapture that momentum since then. O'Rourke when he challenged Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022.
鈥淭hings are shifting in the state. It takes a long time,鈥� said Jared Hockeman, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Cameron County along the U.S.-Mexico border. 鈥淲e recognize that.鈥�