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WASHINGTON – The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said Thursday it’s directing millions of advertising dollars to Florida and Texas, where U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is running against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The late-stage investment is a vote of confidence in Allred and indicates that the national party sees a credible path to victory despite the state’s Republican tilt. Texas Democrats have failed to win a statewide race in three decades.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. and DSCC chairman, has stressed the need to defend Democratic incumbents on the Nov. 5 ballot but said Texas and Florida are great opportunities because the Republican candidates are unpopular.
Recent polling shows the races are within the margin of error, he said, and he pointed to Cruz’s close call in 2018 when he defeated Democrat Beto O’Rourke by 2.6 percentage points.
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The DSCC spending also reflects how successful Democratic fundraising has been since President Joe Biden stepped aside and Vice President Kamala Harris took his place atop the ticket.
“We have an opportunity with fundraising and money coming in that we feel comfortable now these are good investments,” Peters told reporters Thursday morning at the National Press Club.
Texas also is included in a $25 million DSCC effort to directly contact voters in a number of states.
Peters declined to reveal how much money will flow into Texas, saying he didn’t want to reveal strategies, but acknowledged it’s a large state where running for U.S. Senate is expensive. Allred and Cruz have each raised, and spent, tens of millions of dollars.
Peters faced questions about why the party would spend money in a state like Texas when Democratic incumbents in Montana and Ohio are facing uphill battles. He said there’s enough to go around and vowed not to abandon a state like Montana.
Peters said he tells candidates he’s not going to direct national money to their races if they are clearly expected to win or lose.
“But if you’re right in the middle and you’re on the edge, we’re all in,” Peters said. “We’re going to do everything we can.”
The Allred campaign hailed the announcement as evidence of its momentum, saying Cruz is on defense with a record that includes “his extreme abortion ban that has put women in danger.”
Responding to the announcement, the Cruz campaign said: “The National Democrats coming in from their ivory towers in New York, D.C. and California tells Texans all they need to know. Just like them, Colin Allred is nothing more than a radical leftist with a radical record who would destroy Texas and accelerate the decline of America.”
National Republicans had expressed confidence over the summer that Cruz would handily win reelection, but they also earmarked millions in advertising to help him out.
Speaking to reporters last month, Allred said he wasn’t expecting national help.
“I also think that I know Texas better than the national party does, and I don’t think that the national party necessarily could win here,” Allred said at the time. “But I can.”
The DSCC plans to put its new money toward airing more Allred campaign ads instead of conducting a separate campaign.
Peters said Allred needs resources to help get his message out.
“But it is his message,” Peters said. “He knows Texas inside and out.”
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