Former Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat and ex-NFL player, announced Tuesday his candidacy for the 2026 U.S. Senate race, aiming to unseat longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Allred, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024 by a 53% to 45% margin, is the first major Democrat to enter what is expected to be a competitive primary.
In his campaign launch video, Allred criticized Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is challenging Cornyn in the Republican primary.
“Texans are working harder than ever, not getting as much time with their kids, missing those special moments, all to be able to afford less,” Allred said in the video. “And the people that we elected to help — politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton — are too corrupt to care about us and too weak to fight for us.”
He highlighted his refusal to accept corporate PAC money, positioning himself as an outsider to a “broken” system.
The Republican primary is shaping up to be contentious, with Cornyn, seeking a fifth term, facing Paxton, a far-right figure popular with the MAGA base.
Cornyn’s campaign released three digital ads Tuesday, with senior adviser Matt Mackowiak stating, per Audacy.com, “Ken Paxton’s tenure as Attorney General of Texas has been filled with dysfunction, internal dissention [sic] and leadership failures,” pointing to Paxton’s approval of grants to American Gateways despite an ongoing investigation.
Both Cornyn and Paxton are vying for an endorsement from President Donald Trump, whose decision could impact the outcome. National Republican strategists worry Paxton’s nomination could jeopardize the seat in the general election, forcing them to divert resources from other races.
On the Democratic side, Allred faces competition from retired astronaut Terry Virts, who launched his campaign in June, criticizing party leadership.
“After the 2024 election disaster, Washington Democratic leadership skipped the debrief,” Virts said, per Audacy.com.
Mike Swanson, a former flight attendant, is also running, aiming to “take the fight to Congress to make a change from ineffectual actions, to revitalization,” according to his website.
Other Democrats, including Rep. Joaquin Castro and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, are considering bids.
Democrats hope a divided GOP primary and a favorable 2026 midterm environment could provide an opening in Texas, a Republican stronghold where Trump won by nearly 14 points in 2024. The party’s last Senate victory in Texas was in 1988, though Beto O’Rourke came within 3 points of defeating Cruz in 2018.
Flipping Texas remains a steep challenge, with Democrats needing to gain four seats to control the Senate, but Allred’s campaign aims to capitalize on economic frustrations and distrust in entrenched politicians to fuel his bid.