Despite the difficulty Democrats have faced in modern statewide Texas elections, Colin Allred has continued to pursue statewide office. After a 2024 campaign for U.S. Senate, he briefly participated in the Democratic nomination process for Texas’ other Senate seat. He dropped out of the race in 2025, pivoting to a Congressional race.
Allred is a moderate Democratic politician from Dallas who formerly represented Texas’s 32nd district. In mid-November, he joined the Texas Tribune Festival for an interview with The Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins on his campaign trail for the U.S. Senate. After losing the U.S. In the Senate race against Ted Cruz in 2024, he had hoped to run for Texas’ other Senate seat, currently held by John Cornyn. He withdrew from the Democratic primary in December to run for the House seat in Texas’ 33rd congressional district.
Allred stated his campaign centers around the people that he grew up with: ordinary, working-class Texans who are struggling to get by in the current economic and political climate. He enjoys meeting and listening to people and explained that in recent interactions with voters, he has been sensing a new feeling of hopelessness and fear in the air.
“They’re doing everything right,” Allred said in the session. “They’re playing by the rules, and they’re watching folks on TV, who are openly corrupt, who are openly cutting corners, and who are doing just fine. And they feel like they can’t get ahead of it all.”
Allred feels that some of this hopelessness is a product of the Democratic Party not showing up for its people. He believes that the 2025 government shutdown was an example of Democrats backing down when they shouldn’t have. During the October and November shutdown, congressmembers from both parties reached an impasse over passing a funding bill that did not include extending medical subsidies.
“I think it was the right thing to say that if you want my vote … it’ll be contingent on saving people’s healthcare from going through the roof,” Allred said. “That was the right thing to say. It was the wrong thing to fold without getting that right.”
Allred said that he is frustrated with the inefficiency of the current system of government and feels it is broken. He stated that voters keep pressing the button for change, and not getting anything in response.
“My concern isn’t with AI, or the size of our problems,” Allred said, “it’s with the smallness of our ability to respond to things.”
He feels that his biggest obstacle in reaching his goals is cynicism and distrust. He wants to be someone that citizens can trust and respect, not someone who doesn’t stand up for his beliefs.
“If you tell people you are going to fight for something,” Allred said, “and then you fold without getting it, why should they believe you next time?”