Meet Colin Allred

Tell us about your background and campaign platform.

Texas cannot afford six more years of Ted Cruz. I was born and raised by a single mom, who was a Dallas public school teacher. I know who we are as Texans, and it's not who Ted Cruz thinks we are. I will fight for the freedom to get the health care you need, including an abortion. The freedom to vote. And the freedom to live your version of the American dream.

How has your educational background and experience prepared you for this position?

I did not take the normal route to Congress. From being raised by a single mom to captaining the Baylor Football team to the NFL to law school to the Obama Administration. Now I am proud to represent my home of Dallas in Congress. In 2018, we beat a 22-year Republican incumbent. The pundits didn’t give us a chance, but we assembled a broad, diverse coalition to win that included Democrats, Independents, and yes some Republicans. That’s exactly the approach I am taking to this race, and the approach I will take to representing 30 million Texans in the U.S. Senate.

How do you handle making difficult decisions?

As the captain of the Baylor football team, I learned how to make tough decisions and bring folks from a variety of backgrounds together toward a common goal. I have taken that same approach with me to Congress. Whether that is working with Republicans to invest in our infrastructure and create jobs, bolster high-tech manufacturing in semiconductor chips or the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which was the first gun safety legislation passed in decades. It is hard work finding common ground, but inaction is not an option. We must deliver for Texans. One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is bringing together the Trump Administration, Baylor, Scott and White, and a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress and local officials to get an abandoned hospital donated to the VA system. I worked to bring stakeholders together to cut red tape and expedite a process that both saved the VA money and expanded access to care for our veterans. That hospital is now the Garland VA Medical Center, which has been open since 2020 and serves veterans across North Texas while also bringing excellent jobs back to the community.

Who are some of the biggest influences in your political life? How were you influenced?

I am honored to have served alongside my mentor and friend, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. I would not be where I am if it were not for Congresswoman Johnson and the doors she opened for a new generation of leaders. She never shied away from standing up for her values, but also worked across the aisle to get things done and deliver. I will always carry with me the lessons she taught me as I seek to serve all Texans in the U.S. Senate.

Texas is an energy state. What challenges do you perceive balancing growth in the energy sector with environmental concerns? What have you done in the past and what do you plan to do going forward regarding this issue?

We can protect our environment, combat climate change, lower energy costs and incentivize economic growth simultaneously. We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy that keeps costs low, creates jobs and helps make our electric grid more reliable. For the last one hundred years Texas has been an energy leader and I will continue to support responsible oil and gas production as I have done during my time in Congress. I have been an advocate for taking necessary steps to limit methane leaks and helped secure $25 million for Texas to plug 800 orphan wells. I will always work to continue our status as the number one energy-producing state and believe that Texas can and should lead on renewable and clean energy, creating good-paying jobs for hard-working Texans and protecting the planet for future generations. We are already doing it with wind and solar energy – Texas leads the nation in wind energy production and is second in solar energy production. Our investments in the Inflation Reduction Act do just that, and I will work in the Senate to build on the progress we made to reduce pollution and create jobs. It is clear there will be an economic competition to lead the clean energy future, and I will make sure that we make the necessary investments to keep these jobs in Texas, beat China and lead the world.

If elected, what would your top 3 priorities be?

In Texas we can do big things when we work together. We can ensure every Texan has access to the ladders of opportunity they need to live their version of the American dream like I did – where I had the chance to play football at Baylor and the NFL, go to law school to become a voting rights attorney and now serve in Congress. I know there are big fights ahead and my top priority includes protecting the freedoms of all Texans. That includes the freedom to access the health care you need including access to abortion so Texas women can make their own health care decisions — not politicians like Ted Cruz. Protect the freedom to vote. And protect the freedom to get ahead if you work hard and play by the rules by investing in education and job training, lowering costs and growing our economy so everyone can have access to the ladders of opportunity they need to succeed.