Incumbent Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claims win over Democrat Colin Allred

HOUSTON — Texas voters sent Republican Ted Cruz back for a third term in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, turning back Democratic challenger Colin Allred, a congressman from Dallas.

Cruz walked onto the stage at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Houston as the crowd of supporters cheered wildly.

"When I return to the Senate, I carry with me not just a victory, but a mandate, a mandate from the people of Texas," Cruz said. He said that mandate is to secure the border, unleash oil and gas production and protect Texas values.

With 72% of early unofficial results counted, Cruz led Allred, 53.6% to 44.4%.

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The Cruz victory means Texas Democrats are still looking for their first statewide win in more than 30 years. It also puts him in a position to increase his power on Capitol Hill, where he is the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.

Supporters of Allred were gathered 250 miles away at the Longhorn Ballroom in South Dallas, seating themselves at round tables in front of a stage lit by blue and red lights as MSNBC played on two large screens flanking the stage.

The contest became one of the nation's hottest Senate races despite the state's rightward lean, with the two campaigns and outside groups spending hundreds of millions of dollars combined.

Cruz pushed throughout the race to make it a proxy for the presidential campaign, spotlighting his alignment with former President Donald Trump while tying Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden's border and immigration policies.

He painted Allred as too liberal for Texas based on the frequency with which the three-term congressman voted alongside fellow Democrats.

Allred kept the presidential contest at arm's length for much of the race, framing it as a straightforward referendum on Cruz and criticizing him as more focused on podcasting than the needs of Texans.

Allred vowed to restore abortion rights wiped out by the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe vs. Wade and sharply attacked Cruz over his support for abortion restrictions.