Some strange things are happening this election cycle. Hall of Fame nice guy Democratic Senator John Tester of Montana is almost surely going to lose in red Montana. Ted Cruz – a Hall of Fame loathsome jerk might actually lose in red Texas and Ted is obviously a Republican. Cruz finds himself in his second battle for his political life. Beto O’Rourke ran as hard as anyone could in 2018 but Ted escaped with a mere two-point margin. Now Cruz faces a three-pronged challenge. He is up against another consensus fantastic guy in Collin Allred. Texas continues its slow turn to purple. Last, Ted now faces a formal group of Republicans coming together to beat him.
Sure, a lot of Republicans likely love the idea of Cruz getting knocked out or at least won’t shed a tear He shares that characteristic with Donald Trump who is not necessarily supported by many when polled anonymously. Also similar to Trump, Cruz faces an organized Republican front and they are led by one of the most committed Republicans still in existence, one who read the Mueller report, was turned off, voted against Trump, and lost his own district. Of course we speak of the ever-energized Adam Kinzinger. From the Texas Tribune:
Republicans for Allred will be co-chaired by Kinzinger, a former Illinois congressman who later moved to Texas and who has excoriated Trump’s transformation of the GOP, an Allred campaign spokesperson confirmed.
Yes, okay – check that great box off. But this is only the start. There are others formally aligned against Cruz:
The group will be co-chaired by former state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, according to a Thursday news release. Other members include former Dallas Mayor and U.S. Rep. Steve Bartlett, former state representative and Texas House Elections committee chairman Todd Smith.
So KInzinger is not the only big time Republican leading an organized charge against Ted. The committee has a U.S. Representative, State Representatives, and a former Dallas Mayor.
Remember, these are organized leaders who have announced their role. We do not know and perhaps will never know how many Republicans join the committee anonymously or just donate some money and cheer from the sidelines.
There is reason to be excited. Allred is up one point in the latest big poll . Additionally, the Senate Campaign Committee believes that Allred really can do it per ABC News Houston Facebook:
The last statewide Democrat win in Texas was 30 years ago, but Democrats think 2024 might end the streak. The national party is investing millions to help Colin Allred in his Senate bid against Republican Ted Cruz.
But all of this excitement must be tempered with some hardcore reality. Beto O’Rourke seemingly had the same momentum. Additionally, Beto ran against old Texas election laws. This cycle involves new Texas modifications making voting that much more difficult. Additionally, and we should just admit it, we always get excited about tight races in Florida and Texas and always lose by… about two points.
But there is a chance that this time is really different. Collin Allred is unique in his crossover appeal. As a former NFL player with alpha male bona fides, there is a chance that some Republicans might trust him. And obviously never forget that he’s running against Ted Cruz. See above re: Most hated man… Democrats and now some Republicans are lining up against the insufferable traveler. At some point he has to go down, right?
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It would be delicious to see unctuous Ted go down in flames, but I’m sad about Jon Tester. From seeing him on MSNBC, it’s obvious he’s a good guy and a real Montanan, unlike his opponent, some rich guy from somewhere NOT Montana. Geez, Montana voters, pull your heads back out into the sunlight.