Rep. Colin Allred continued to use TikTok after he voted for a bill that would ban the popular application if its Chinese parent company does not sell its stake.
Allred (D-TX), who is trying to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), is one of the most prominent federal lawmakers regularly using the video platform, as reported by The Texas Tribune. However, he voted last month to force the app’s sale over national security concerns. He posted on TikTok three times the same day he cast his vote, which irked some of his supporters.
“Brooooooooooo, we voted for you. But you Voted against us,” a user named Savannah commented on his TikTok video, per The Texas Tribune.
“TikTok is the only reason I heard of you before the primaries. Why would you vote to ban it? That is so disappointing,” another user with the handle Stardust and Serendipity commented, per The Texas Tribune.
“Why do you have a TikTok if it is such a threat to your data, sir?” another TikTok user commented on his account, per The Texas Tribune.
More than half of respondents to a Texas poll last month said they had never heard of Allred, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. A Marist poll at the time showed him trailing Cruz by 6%.
The Texas Tribune noted that most of the representatives in the Lone Star State voted in favor of the bill that could possibly result in the banning of TikTok, with Allred being the only member to do so while regularly using the app.
“Our national security is paramount and we must work together to ensure apps like TikTok are free from the harmful and malicious influence of the Chinese Communist Party,” Allred said in a statement after his vote, according to the Texas Tribune. “Apps like TikTok are so important to creators and businesses in Texas and across the country, and that is why I urge Republicans and Democrats to continue to work together to preserve this app.”
Allred created his TikTok account as he announced his Senate run in October, according to The Texas Tribune. He posts videos every few days or so.
His campaign did not respond to a request for comment from DX.
