Colin Allred and Ted Cruz don’t have a lot of nice things to say about each other

WASHINGTON – Texans will find it hard to escape the growing waves of attack ads in the state’s hottest race on Nov. 5, the U.S. Senate contest pitting Republican incumbent Ted Cruz against U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas .

As both national parties and outside groups have turned their focus to the race, money is flowing to fuel advertising campaigns, including a barrage of negative spots.

According to polls and polling data, Allred has significantly narrowed the gap with Cruz in recent weeks. The two are expected to face off Tuesday night in a highly anticipated debate where viewers will be able to hear many of the themes reflected in the commercials.

Here are the main themes of the attacks.

Abortion and Reproductive Rights

Allred has addressed Cruz early and often on the issue of abortion, describing the senator as responsible for the state’s near-total abortion ban. He points to Cruz’s support for state lawmakers who favor strict abortion restrictions and his promotion of conservative nominees to the federal bench, from the Supreme Court down to the district level.

An ad splashed with money from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee features women who say they have been denied emergency medical care because of the state’s abortion ban.

“If you experience pregnancy complications in Texas, you are in danger,” one of them says, looking into the camera. “It’s that simple, and it’s the fault of Ted Cruz and the anti-abortion extremists.”

Before the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Cruz had supported a nationwide ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

He hailed Roe’s overturn in 2022, describing it as “nothing short of a tremendous lifetime victory” and said the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization rightly gave states the power to regulate abortions .

“This is a momentous day, and yet the fight for life does not end with the Dobbs decision,” Cruz said at the time. “It’s just the beginning of a new chapter. I was proud to be a pro-life advocate in the U.S. Senate, and I will continue to do so as we navigate the path ahead.”

The senator was quieter on the issue during the campaign. When pressed, Cruz emphasized the role of states and said Democrats were out of touch if they did not support any abortion restrictions.

Democrats said codifying Roe’s framework into federal law would still allow states to adopt post-viability restrictions in place before the 2022 ruling.

Border security and illegal immigration

Cruz has been an outspoken critic of Democrats on border security and illegal immigration. During his speech at the Republican National Convention, Cruz focused on Americans killed by people who entered the country illegally and said Democratic policies were putting people at risk.

On the campaign trail, Cruz has tried to link Allred to the policies of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He says the Dallas lawmaker has stood with party leaders like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in rejecting GOP proposals to address the issue.

“Colin Allred consistently votes for open borders, including against deporting illegal immigrants who attack police officers,” says the narrator of a Cruz ad.

The spot ends with a clip of Allred saying, “If they build this racist wall, my generation is the one that’s going to tear it down.”

Democrats have criticized Cruz and other Republicans for opposing a bipartisan bill negotiated with Republican Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. Cruz says he voted against the bill because it would have normalized the daily illegal entry of thousands into the country and donated billions to nongovernmental organizations that help migrants.

In his Senate campaign, Allred described opposing both parties’ extremes on the issue while seeking bipartisan compromise. Cruz is trying to exploit illegal immigration for political purposes, he says.

The Future of Social Security

One of Allred’s ads includes clips of Cruz talking about the need for a “gradual increase in the retirement age” while also covering the Republican’s trip to Mexico during the deadly blackout in the 2021 winter storm.

“With Ted Cruz, we work longer, pay more and get less,” says the narrator. “Listen, Ted, running to Cancun was bad, but you’ll hurt us even more if you’re here.”

In a statement, Cruz pointed to a small decline in projected Social Security revenue in the Biden administration’s budget proposal. He also pointed to two laws he introduced. The first requires the federal government to prioritize Social Security benefits, military pay and other items if the national debt reaches the debt ceiling.

The second goal is to ensure that public employees such as police officers, firefighters and teachers receive full Social Security benefits when they retire.

“I have spent my entire career in the Senate fighting for Social Security and long-term benefits for seniors, and that includes finding ways to keep this program solvent,” Cruz said.

LGBTQ issues

Republicans competing in contests across the country have seized on transgender issues to attack Democratic opponents on issues such as taxpayer-funded, gender-affirming care and transgender women and girls in sports.

Cruz has studied the topic intensively.

A Cruz ad cites a letter signed by Allred and other lawmakers calling for the removal of transgender-related provisions from a defense bill, such as restrictions on “medically necessary care for transgender service members or their family members” and a statutory ban of drag shows.

“Allred’s radical ideas are already dividing America,” says the narrator. “Now he wants to divide our military?”

The ad also criticizes Allred for voting against House Resolution 734, “Protecting Women and Girls in Sports,” which would ban school sports programs from allowing people whose biological sex was male at birth to participate to allow programs for women or girls.

Allred released an ad last week responding to the attacks, saying Cruz was “full of it” and was trying to distract from his record, which includes supporting raising the Social Security retirement age.

“I am a father. I am also a Christian. My faith has taught me that all children are children of God,” Allred says in the ad. “So let me clarify. I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports or any of that ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz says.”

In response to that ad, the Cruz campaign said Allred was the one trying to mislead voters given his opposition to H.R. 734.