Sen. Ted Cruz launched two ads on Tuesday that criticize Rep. Colin Allred’s record on transgender issues.
The ad buys from Cruz (R-TX) focus on how his challenger, Allred (D-TX), supports policies that allow transgender people to access the bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams of their choice. The more than $6.7 million ad buys were coordinated with the Republican Party of Texas, as first reported by The Texan. They will air in the Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and the Waco-Bryan media markets.
“The thrill of victory in women’s sports. The agony of defeat to biological men,” one ad states. “Now our girls are being left in the dust, robbed of their right to compete fairly.”
“And Colin Allred voted in Congress to oppose Texas state law that protects women’s sports,” it continues. “Colin Allred voted to allow boys in girls’ bathrooms. Colin Allred voted to allow boys in girls’ locker rooms. Colin Allred voted to allow boys in girls’ sports.”
The ad points to several of Allred’s votes in the House of Representatives. He voted against the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act, which would ensure school sports teams only allow players of the same biological sex. He also voted against the Parental Bill of Rights, which would require parental consent for schools to allow a student to change their gender identification.
The Cruz ad mocked Allred for opposing the bills.
“Boys and girls, they’re different,” the other ad states. “And somehow, it’s become controversial to say boys and girls are different. But they are.”
“Colin Allred supports boys playing in girls’ sports,” the ad continues, noting his voting record. “Colin Allred should know the difference between boys and girls.”
The Allred campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
The ads point to Allred’s support of the Equality Act, which would alter the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to establish gender identities as protected categories. Additionally, he cosponsored the Transgender Bill of Rights, which would override the Texas ban on minors getting transgender surgeries.
Allred opposed several laws pertaining to gender identity in his home state, as reported by The Texan. He described legislative efforts to require school bathroom access to be determined by biological sex as “disgraceful.” He called legislation requiring sports at the secondary and collegiate level to be limited to single-sex groupings as “harmful, anti-trans bills.”
Texas polling data shows Allred’s views on gender identity conflict with his state’s residents.
More than two-thirds of Texans said they support “requiring athletic participation to be based on biological sex in K-12 and higher education institutions in Texas,” according to a poll from last year by The Texas Politics Project.
More than 60% of Texans said they oppose allowing transgender people to choose which bathroom they use, according to a poll last year by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs. The poll found that 53% of Texans oppose allowing minors to get transgender medical procedures.
Polls in recent weeks show Cruz leading Allred by anywhere from four to eight percentage points.
