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2024 United States Senate election in Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2024 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Texas. Republican incumbent Ted Cruz won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic challenger and U.S. Representative Colin Allred.[1][2][3] The primary election took place on March 5, 2024, during Super Tuesday.[4]
Early polling showed Cruz as a clear favorite, but polls closer to the election showed a closer race. Cruz ultimately outperformed polling and expectations and won re-election by 8.49 points, improving on his 2018 margin by six points and flipping thirteen counties.[5][6] Cruz won a slight majority of Hispanic and Latino voters in the election.
Colin Allred overperformed Kamala Harris in the concurrent presidential election in Texas by 5.5 points, receiving nearly 200,000 votes more than her and performed much better relatively in the largely Hispanic Rio Grande Valley.[7][8]
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Background
Texas is generally considered to be a Republican stronghold, having not elected a Democrat to any statewide office since 1994.[9] Republicans control both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide offices, both houses of the Texas Legislature, and a large majority in Texas's U.S. House congressional delegation. Cruz was first elected in 2012, defeating Paul Sadler by 15.84 points and was reelected in 2018 by only 2.56 points, narrowly defeating Beto O'Rourke.[10][11] The close elections in 2018 prompted many electoral analysts to speculate that Texas could become a swing state, but in the 2020 and 2022 elections, Republicans increased their margins of victory.[12][9] This race was considered to generally favor Cruz, but some considered the race to have the potential to become competitive.[13]
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Republican primary
Summarize
Perspective
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
Declined
- Dan Crenshaw, U.S. representative from Texas's 2nd congressional district (2019–present) (ran for re-election)[16]
- Adam Kinzinger, former U.S. representative from Illinois's 16th congressional district (2011–2023)[17]
Endorsements
Ted Cruz
Fundraising
Polling
Results

Cruz
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
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Democratic primary
Summarize
Perspective
Candidates
Nominee
- Colin Allred, U.S. representative from Texas's 32nd congressional district (2019–2025)[30]
Eliminated in primary
- Meri Gomez, tax consultant[15]
- Mark Gonzalez, former Nueces County District Attorney (2017–2023)[31]
- Roland Gutierrez, state senator from the 19th district (2021–present)[32]
- Robert Hassan, businessman[15]
- Steven Keough, law professor[33]
- Heli Rodriguez-Prilliman, tech entrepreneur[34]
- Carl Sherman, state representative from the 109th district (2019–present)[35]
- Thierry Tchenko, home repair nonprofit executive and former associate director of the District of Columbia Office of Policy[36]
Disqualified
Withdrew
- John Love III, former Midland city councilor and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 (ran for U.S. House)[15]
- Zachariah Manning, businessman (ran for U.S. House)[37]
Declined
- Julián Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017), former mayor of San Antonio (2009–2014), and candidate for President of the United States in 2020[38]
- Veronica Escobar, U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district (2019–present) (ran for re-election, endorsed Allred)[39]
- Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut and brother of Arizona Senator Mark Kelly[40]
Endorsements
Colin Allred
US executive branch officials
- Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States (2021–2025)[41]
U.S. senators
- Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada (2017–present)[42]
- Al Franken, Minnesota (2009–2018)[43]
- Jon Tester, Montana (2007–2025)[44]
- Tina Smith, Minnesota (2018–present)[45]
U.S. representatives
- Veronica Escobar, TX-16 (2019–present)[45]
- Lizzie Fletcher, TX-07 (2019–present)[39]
- Seth Moulton, MA-06 (2015–present)[46]
- Marc Veasey, TX-33 (2013–present)[45]
State legislators
- Cesar Blanco, state senator from the 29th district (2021–present)[47]
- Chris Turner, former Minority Leader of the Texas House of Representatives (2017–2023) from the 101st district (2013–present)[48]
Local officials
- Rodney Ellis, Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 1 (2017–present)[48]
- Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Judge (2011–present)[48]
- John Wiley Price, Dallas County Commissioner for District 3 (1985–present)[48]
- Sylvester Turner, former Mayor of Houston (2016–2024)[48]
Individuals
- Olivia Julianna, activist[49]
- Kelley Robinson, president of Human Rights Campaign[50]
Organizations
- College Democrats of America[48]
- Congressional Black Caucus PAC[51]
- Council for a Livable World[52]
- End Citizens United[53]
- Harvard College Democrats[54]
- Human Rights Campaign[50]
- Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs[55]
- J Street PAC[56]
- League of Conservation Voters[57]
- National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare[58]
- Peace Action[59]
Labor unions
- American Federation of Government Employees[48]
- Association of Flight Attendants[60]
- Texas AFL-CIO[48]
- United Auto Workers[61]
Newspapers and other media
Roland Gutierrez
U.S. representatives
- Filemon Vela Jr., TX-34 (2013–2022)[45]
- Sylvia Garcia, TX-29 (2019–present)[66]
State legislators
- Art Fierro, former state representative from the 79th district (2019–2023)[67]
- Penny Morales Shaw, state representative from the 148th district (2021–present)[66]
- Claudia Ordaz, state representative from the 79th district (2023–present)[67]
- José Rodríguez, former Texas Senate Minority Leader (2015–2020) from the 29th district (2011–2021)[67]
Individuals
- Ramón Ayala, musician[68]
Organizations
- Austin Young Democrats[69]
- Eastside Democrats of El Paso[70]
- Emgage PAC[71]
- Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus[72]
- Latino Victory Fund[73]
- Our Revolution Montgomery County[74]
- Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, Dallas, and El Paso[75][76][77]
- Texas Progressive Caucus[78]
- University of Texas at Austin College Democrats (University Democrats)[79]
Newspapers
Declined to endorse
Fundraising
Polling
Results

Allred
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
Gutierrez
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Gonzalez
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- >90%
Gomez
- 20–30%
Tied
No Votes
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Libertarian convention
Nominee
- Ted Brown, insurance adjuster and nominee for Texas's 17th congressional district in 2020[88]
Write-in candidates
Declared
- Tracy Andrus, director of the Lee P. Brown Criminal Justice Institute at Wiley University[89]
- Analisa Roche, math tutor[90]
General election
Summarize
Perspective
Predictions
Post-primary endorsements
Ted Cruz (R)
U.S. executive branch officials
- John Bolton, United States National Security Advisor (2018–2019), United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2005–2006)[101]
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States (2017–2021)[102]
U.S. senators
- John Thune, Senate Minority Whip (2021–2025) and, Senate Majority Leader (2025-present) from South Dakota (2005-present)[103]
State legislators
- Eddie Lucio Jr., Texas Senator (1991–2023) (Democratic)[104]
Local officials
- Kim Ogg, Harris County District Attorney (2017–present) (Democratic)[105]
Organizations
Colin Allred (D)
U.S. executive branch officials
- Kamala Harris, 49th Vice President of the United States (2021–2025), 2024 nominee for President of the United States[107]
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States (2009–2017)[108]
- Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor (1993–1997)[109]
U.S. senators
- Gary Peters, Michigan (2015–present)[110]
U.S. representatives
- Liz Cheney, U.S. representative from Wyoming's at-large congressional district (2017–2023) (Republican)[111]
- Gabby Giffords, U.S. representative from Arizona's 8th congressional district (2007–2012)[112]
- Adam Kinzinger, U.S. representative from Illinois (2011–2023) (Republican)[113]
- Alan Steelman, U.S. representative from Texas's 5th congressional district (1973–1977) (Republican)[114]
Statewide officials
- Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota (2019–present), 2024 nominee for Vice President of the United States[115]
- Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan (2019–present)[116]
State legislators
- Adrian Boafo, Maryland state delegate from the 23rd district (2023–present)[117]
- James Talarico, Texas State Representative from the 50th district (2019–present)[118]
- Bennett Ratliff, Texas State Representative (2013–2015) (Republican)[114]
- Todd Smith, Texas State Representative (1997–2013) (Republican)[114]
- Jason Villalba, Texas State Representative (2013–2019) (Republican)[114]
Local officials
- Steve Bartlett, Mayor of Dallas (1991–1995) (Republican)[114]
- Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio (2017–present) (Independent)[119]
- Glen Whitley, Tarrant County Judge (2007–2022) (Republican)[120]
Individuals
- Mark Cuban, businessperson, television personality and minority owner of Dallas Mavericks (Independent)[121]
- Harry Dunn, former U.S. Capitol Police officer[122]
- Willie Nelson, country singer[123]
Newspapers
- Austin American-Statesman[124]
- The Austin Chronicle[125]
- The Dallas Morning News[126]
- Houston Chronicle[127]
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram[128]
- San Antonio Express-News[129]
Organizations
Fundraising
Debate
Polling
Aggregate polls
Hypothetical polling
Ted Cruz vs. Roland Gutierrez
Results
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Brewster (largest municipality: Alpine)
- Culberson (largest municipality: Van Horn)
- Frio (largest municipality: Pearsall)
- Jefferson (largest municipality: Beaumont)
- Jim Wells (largest municipality: Alice)
- Kleberg (largest municipality: Kingsville)
- La Salle (largest municipality: Cotulla)
- Maverick (largest municipality: Eagle Pass)
- Nueces (largest municipality: Corpus Christi)
- Reeves (largest municipality: Pecos)
- Starr (largest municipality: Rio Grande City)
- Val Verde (largest municipality: Del Rio)
- Zapata (largest municipality: Zapata)
By congressional district
Cruz won 25 of 38 congressional districts.[183]
By county
Analysis
Cruz won a majority of Hispanic and Latino voters, particularly those living on the border with Mexico who had traditionally supported Democratic candidates; the NBC News exit poll showed 52% of Latinos supported Cruz, a 17-point increase from 2018.[185]
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See also
Notes
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Perspective
Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas
- Poll sponsored by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston
- Poll sponsored by Nexstar Media Group
- Poll sponsored by American Thinker
- Poll sponsored by Rose Institute of State and Local Government
- Poll sponsored by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University
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References
External links
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