Rep. Colin Allred clinches Texas Democratic nomination to challenge US Sen. Ted Cruz

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, the former pro football linebacker who six years ago knocked off an entrenched Texas Republican to capture a Dallas area seat in Congress, vaulted to an outright victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, according to The Associated Press.

Allred bested a field of nine candidates and was trouncing his nearest rival, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, by a 4-1 margin, according to unofficial election returns. Allred can now shift gears and set his sights on the November matchup against two-term incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who easily dispensed with two comparatively unknown challengers on the GOP side.

"We know that we can win with a campaign that draws on our history as Texans and charts a new and better path forward," Allred said in his victory speech in Dallas. "We're going to work together to build a movement of Democrats and independents and Republicans that will defend our freedoms, fights for our democracy, makes sure we have an economy that works for everyone, that secures our border consistent with our values, and we're going to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again."

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 reversed the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which guaranteed a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy. Democrats in Texas and around the country have used that 2022 high court ruling as a mobilizing force that they hope will pay off at the ballot box this year.

The Democratic Senate primary was considered the top statewide contest in the primary campaign of this presidential election year. The races at top of the tickets for both parties were all-but foregone conclusions as Democratic President Joe Biden and former Republican Donald Trump both waltzed to easy wins.

2024 Texas primary election updates: Get the latest unofficial voting results

Though it was a crowded field, most of the attention in the Democratic Senate race centered on Allred and Gutierrez, both political veterans and officeholders. But it was Allred who emerged as the establishment favorite, entering the race first and snapping up the backing of Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer of New York and accepted a $5,000 contribution from his leadership political action committee.

Gutierrez, meanwhile, spent much of 2023 focused on his legislative duties in Austin and entered the race after Allred had begun laying his groundwork. Gutierrez said he was spurred to run for Senate by the May 2022 deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, the South Texas town of about 15,000 residents that is part of his state Senate district. Among the issues that most aroused his passion was banning the sale of military-style rifles.

Speaking to supporters in San Antonio, Gutierrez remained upbeat as he conceded the race to Allred.

"I stopped crying about elections a long time ago," he said. "You won't see me cry over that spilled milk. We've got a fight still left to go in this state. We've to make sure we do that."

Invoking the Uvalde families, several of who joined him as he spoke, and the need for gun control reforms, Gutierrez added: "But I cry every day over their children. That's a conversation we need to have."

Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, said Allred was wise to campaign as the inevitable nominee and deprive his rivals of any share of the spotlight.

"Colin Allred has been running a frontrunner's campaign, which is what he should be doing and as much as possible, ignoring his opponents or the fact that they exist," Henson said.

The 40-year-old Allred, a onetime standout linebacker for Baylor University who went on to play for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, earned his law degree from the University of California at Berkley after leaving pro football in 2011. Eight years later, he toppled 22-year Republican congressional veteran Pete Sessions by about 6 percentage points.

Gutierrez, 53, still has two years remaining on his term in the state Senate, where he has served since 2021. Before that, he spent 13 years in the Texas House. Serving in the Legislature is considered part time and Gutierrez makes his living as an immigration lawyer.

Most of the money in the Democratic Senate primary landed with Allred. As of Feb. 14, the Federal Elections Commission's most recent reporting date, Allred had raised $21.4 million since launching his Senate bid last year and spent $12.9 million.

2024 Texas primary election results: Joe Biden, Donald Trump win big on Super Tuesday

Allred remains with $8.5 million in his campaign war chest, which is more than the $6.76 million Cruz has available. In the final three months of 2023, Allred outraised Cruz $4.8 million to $3.4 million, according to campaign finance reports.

Gutierrez, although coming in second in Democratic fundraising, lagged far behind Allred. He brought in $1.3 million as of Feb. 14 and spent all but about $155,000.

The last time Cruz was up for reelection, he narrowly eked out a victory but his fundraising lagged far behind that of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso. O'Rourke hauled in $80.3 million during the campaign cycle compared with Cruz's $38.9 million. It proved to be the most expensive U.S. Senate campaign in history, although several races in the 2020 cycle — all of them in states smaller than Texas — obliterated that record.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas elections: Allred wins Democratic nomination to challenge Cruz