Ted Cruz and Colin Allred clash over abortion, trans athletes and Jan. 6 in feisty Texas Senate debate

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred clashed over policy Tuesday during their first and only debate of the Texas Senate race.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred traded quippy one-liners and clashed over policy Tuesday at their first and only debate in a Texas Senate race debate that both candidates agree is up for grabs.

Cruz presented himself as a conservative who “will fight to keep Texas Texas,” while Allred cast Cruz as a do-nothing extremist who has not delivered for the state in his 12 years in the Senate.

“When the lights went out in the energy capital of the world, he went to Cancún. On Jan. 6, when a mob was storming the Capitol, he was hiding a supply closet. And when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, he took it down,” Allred said, repeatedly mentioning Cruz’s trip to Mexico during a 2021 winter storm in Texas. “We don’t have to have a senator like this.”

Cruz appeared bemused by Allred’s zingers.

“Congressman Allred has memorized his lines well,” he said with a grin, saying there’s “difference between words and actions.” Cruz said Allred’s “words sound good” but don’t match his voting record.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ted-cruz-colin-allred-texas-senate-debate-rcna175115

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