Colin Allred touts support from Black elected leaders as Democratic Senate race heats up

Allred is hoping Black voters will help propel him to Senate nomination over James Talarico.

By Gromer Jeffers Jr.
political writer

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred on Tuesday touted support from 12 Black congressional and Texas House members, signaling that he hopes Black voters will help propel him to the Democratic Senate nomination.

Allred is expected to face a tough fight for the nomination from state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, who entered the contest last week to significant fanfare. A spokesman for Talarico’s campaign said the Austin Democrat raised $1 million in the first 12 hours after he entered the race.

The list of Allred backers includes U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth and the dean of the North Texas delegation to Congress. Veasey was an early supporter of Allred and six other Congressional Black Caucus members announced their support of Allred last week.

Endorsing Allred Tuesday were Democratic state Reps. Toni Rose and Venton Jones of Dallas, and Rhetta Andrews Bowers of Rowlett. Outside of the Dallas area, Allred scored the support of state Reps. Alma Allen of Houston and Barbara Gervin-Hawkins of San Antonio.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, has not endorsed Allred and is considering a run for Senate.

Allred’s support is just a fraction of the available endorsements. The Texas Black Caucus Foundation lists 18 House Democrats as members.

The candidate who emerges with the Democratic Party’s nomination will face the winner of the GOP race that features incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“I have watched Colin stand up and fight against the broken system in Washington to deliver for working Texans,” Veasey said in a statement. “I’ve been proud to work with Colin to deliver for our region by expanding care for veterans, making historic infrastructure investments, and working to make healthcare more affordable.”

Allred’s pronounced outreach to Black voters is a departure from his 2024 Senate campaign against Republican Ted Cruz, where in the primary and general election he stressed his bipartisan credentials and his ability to produce results in a fractured Congress.

The Dallas Democrat easily won the 2024 Senate primary against eight candidates, including state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio. Allred continued to stress bipartisanship in the general election and touted support from former Republican U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

That strategy was questioned by some Democrats, especially after he lost by nearly nine percentage points to Cruz. Allred did outperform Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to President Donald Trump in Texas by 14 percentage points. His outperformance of Harris indicates he had some support from independents and Republicans, though some Democrats and analysts considered his defeat to Cruz after polls showed a close race a disappointment.

Political analysts say the 2026 midterm elections have a different political tone for many Democrats, including Allred.

Talarico, who announced his bid for Senate last week, told The Dallas Morning News that he was the fighter needed for this extraordinary moment in the nation’s politics.

“When Allred ran in the last campaign there was not a robust effort on his part to really reach Black voters,” said Michael Adams, a political scientist at Texas Southern University. “It wasn’t until near the end, right before the eve of the election, where he made several trips to Houston. And at that point, it was a little late.”

Adams said Allred has “changed his playbook to actively seek urban voters,” especially Black women. He said opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies and the fight to stop a Republican-driven plan to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries could energize Black voters.

“The new maps, the notion of saving democracy and other anti-Trump messages will be used to drive Black voter turnout,” Adams said. “Allred is tapping into this, where in his last campaign he was appealing to moderates and centrist Democrats.”

Adams said turning out and winning the Black vote is critical for Democrats.

“Given how low turnout can be in primaries, it’s going to be important to have a robust Black vote turnout,” Adams said. “The buckle in the belt of the Democratic Party has always been older Black women and these are the voters you need on your side if you’re banking on turnout.”

Black elected leaders backing Allred issued statements praising the former NFL linebacker for his life story and public service.

“Colin Allred has never forgotten where he came from or who he’s fighting for,” Bowers said. “From Dallas to Washington, he has been a steadfast voice for families too often left out of the conversation — working to lower costs, expand access to health care, and protect our freedoms.”

“Colin Allred is Dallas through and through — raised by a single mom right here, he’s never forgotten the families who shaped him,” Rose said.

Jones said “Texas needs a Senator who will fight for working people, and I know Dallas’ own Colin Allred is the perfect person for the job.”

The six other members of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsing Allred are Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Yvette Clarke of New York, Steven Horsford of Nevada, Gregory Meeks of New York, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Lauren Underwood of Illinois.

Allred said he appreciates the support.

“As a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus during my time in Congress, I am deeply honored to earn the support of these leaders I’ve worked alongside for years,” Allred said in a statement. “Together, we fought to lower costs, expand access to health care, and ensure every community has a voice in our democracy.”

By Gromer Jeffers Jr.

The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5’s Lone Star Politics.

This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.