Rep. Colin Allred, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz, dodged questions on whether he would campaign with President Joe Biden.
“Do you plan to campaign with Biden here?” NBC asked Allred (D-TX) in a Tuesday interview.
“This is going to be about Texans talking to Texans, neighbors talking to neighbors,” Allred said. “We are picking a senator who will serve us for the next six years, past the term of the next presidency. Anybody is welcome to come, but my message will stay the same, which is that I’m focused on Texas, on 30 million Texans who deserve a senator who cares about them.”
“So if Biden plans to come, will you join him?” the reporter asked again.
“I don’t know if he is, but listen, like I said, whoever comes, whether it’s Trump, Biden, anybody else, you will not hear anything different from me, which is that I’m focused on Texas and I’m focused on how I know Ted Cruz is not representing us,” he said.
Allred has voted in line with Democratic leadership on the issue of immigration since Biden was elected president, even as unlawful migrant encounters hit all-time highs, as reported by The Dallas Express. However, the congressman appeared to shift his tone in January when he voted to condemn Biden’s handling of the crisis at the southern border.
Biden has a 42% approval rating in Texas, according to The Texas Politics Project.
Allred, a former NFL linebacker, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019. Limited polling on the Texas Senate race last month showed results ranging from a tie to a 14% advantage for Cruz.
Philip Letsou, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senate Committee, said Allred’s refusal to answer whether he will campaign with Biden was an attempt to distance himself from an unpopular president he so often votes in support of.
“Colin Allred can’t hide from his record. He’s a far-left rubber-stamp who votes with Joe Biden 100% of the time,” Letsou told The Dallas Express. “From opening America’s southern border to skyrocketing inflation, Allred and Biden have worked hand-in-hand to wreak havoc on everyday Texans.”Â
Allred’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
