U.S. Rep. Colin Allred could get a slight bump from a debate with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday night as a product of several potent punches that he landed and the prime time exposure he received as a candidate who was largely unknown outside of political circles until taking aim at higher office this year.
An attorney who's a member of the Princeton University hall of fame for debaters, Cruz appeared to be more comfortable and relaxed in the setting on the stage at the ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas. Cruz delivered the most polished performance from the perspective of standards used by impartial judges to score debates in academia and other non-political arenas. Allred seemed anxious at times in stark contrast - the tension reflected in his eyes.
But Allred was better prepared for the hottest moments and issues while Cruz was more packaged with a strategy that relied heavily on red herrings to distract from the questions that he anticipated and was determined not to answer. Cruz refused to say whether he supported exceptions for rape and incest in the initial exchange between the candidates on abortion rights. The senator responded by blasting Allred for his position on parental consent for the termination of pregnancies.
Cruz became testy when a moderator pressed him on the Texas abortion ban. The senator asked why she kept asking him the question - and at one point he suggested that he was immune from blame for pregnancies caused by rapists and relatives based on the fact that the abortion prohibition was a product of the Texas Legislature on which he did not have a vote.
After skirting the hardest question on abortion, Cruz attempted to play it both ways when he accused Allred of backing police defunding after sugarcoating the attack by Donald Trump supporters on law enforcement officers at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
"I have to say, you can’t be for the mob on January 6 and for the officers. You can't," Allred said, prompting Cruz to chuckle. "And it’s not funny - because you’re a threat to democracy."
Allred portrayed Cruz as a fake tough guy who hid in a mop closet while the Democrat was on the U.S. House floor preparing to take on the rioters. But Allred - a former linebacker in the National Football League - may have scored the most points when he turned an attack on transgender youth into a slap at his manhood. Cruz set himself up for an embarrassing moment when he claimed that Allred supported legislation to allow biological boys to compete in girls high school and college sports.
“When Cruz starts talking about teen sports, you gotta watch out because the only position he ever played was left out," Allred said. "I’m not trying to be mean. But sit this one out.”
Cruz critics declared Allred to be the clear winner of the first and apparently only debate with the Senate contenders.
George Conway, a conservative lawyer who was married to Donald Trump's former top aide, served up a one-liner on the Texas Senate debate in a social media post.
“Never seen a linebacker punt a senator before,” Conway said on X.
Texan Matthew Dowd, a former campaign adviser to George W. Bush, depicted the debate as a blowout. “Wow, @ColinAllredTX just destroyed @tedcruz in the debate tonight,” Dowd contended in a post on X. “Showed Cruz has zero integrity, is not a principled conservative, and only looks out for himself. Look forward to voting for Allred during early voting.”
Cruz loyalists defended his performance amid claims that Allred ran from his record, lied constantly and failed to substantiate the attacks that he leveled during the debate. Republicans blasted the Democrat
for calling himself bipartisan but voting 100 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden - a point that Cruz raised repeatedly.
"Even Colin Allred’s own senior staff knows that Allred lost the debate and couldn’t defend his radical record!" according to a post from the
Truth & Courage PAC.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was impressed with Cruz. "Allred never had a chance in tonight’s debate," Patrick asserted in a post on X last night. "@TedCruz is a great debater and drilled Allred over and over on his liberal voting record. Game-set-match to Ted Cruz."
Governor Greg Abbott, who had a review of the vice-presidential debate prepared in advance, had said nothing on his own X page about the clash on stage between the Senate contenders by early Friday evening.
