Hours after the U.S. Capitol events on January 6, 2021, where supporters of then-president Donald Trump were involved, Sen. Ted Cruz was one of the 17 Texas Republicans who decided not to vote for the certification of Joe Biden as president. A year later, when queried on whether he believes Biden won legitimately, Cruz adeptly evaded the question. On the other hand, those quick to jump to conclusions might argue that if Cruz has doubts about the election’s legitimacy, he should not be re-elected for a third Senate term on November 5. The assumption that challenging the 2020 election’s integrity is detrimental to democracy is held by some, but it’s crucial to understand that questioning plays a vital role in a functioning democracy.
Cruz has been increasingly seen as aligning with the hardliners in the Republican Party, rather than focusing solely on Texans’ needs as one may expect of a public servant. However, it’s worth considering whether this interpretation of his actions is influenced by the extreme polarisation of the current political climate. As another election nears, Texas voters are faced with a critical question: who will best represent their interests in the Senate?
Some elements view Colin Allred as the answer to that question, recommending him over Cruz for the upcoming election. With his background in public service as a voting rights lawyer and three-term congressman, Allred represents a new opportunity for some, perceived as a leader who fosters responsibilities. On the other hand, many view Cruz as consumed by ‘culture wars,’ more engrossed in trolling liberals on social media than passing meaningful legislation for Texans. These perceptions, however, tend to be colored by partisan lenses.
Allred has positioned himself in stark contrast to Cruz, providing an alternative viewpoint in his approach to governance. His concentration on public policy has been marked by a commitment to finding bipartisan solutions that appeal to a larger audience rather than merely pandering to extremists. This method has garnered support from various Texans who identify as disenfranchised under Cruz’s administration.
Allred’s agenda includes opposing some deeply Republican values, including strengthening protections for women who need to travel interstate for medical care due to the overturn of Roe v. Wade abortion rights protections, advocating for contraception and IVF treatments, and championing what he terms as ‘sensible’ gun reforms. Allred blames Cruz directly for Texas’ abortion ban. He cites Cruz’s role in appointing judges with stringent views to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals as the driving force behind this ban.
Critics, including Allred, claim that Cruz has disappointed Texans time and again. His supposed transgressions range from voting against the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which aimed to enhance semiconductor research, development, and production, to his opposition to the post-Uvalde gun massacre gun reforms contained in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Critics wasted no time in highlighting Cruz’s trip to Cancun amidst Texas’s catastrophic winter storm in 2021 as another example of him supposedly letting Texans down.
Allred’s vision for comprehensive immigration reform includes controls at the border, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as young children, and bolstering resources for training and equipment for the Border Patrol and border communities. Despite numerous claims from Cruz and fellow Senate Republicans about problems at the Texas border, critics argue that they failed to pass a crucial immigration and border security bill in February.
The bipartisan immigration package, priced at $118 billion, would have allowed for emergency restrictions on border crossings when migrant encounters reached critical levels. It also proposed a significant injection of new funds amounting to $20 billion for border security. Critics suggest that Cruz and his Republican colleagues preferred to maintain the status quo to exploit as a political weapon during the election season.
Various critics argue that Texans need a new Senate leader who can instigate positive change. However, it’s worth scrutinizing the extent to which such sentiments are amplified by political polarization and ideological differences. Who Texans choose as their U.S. senator should be a decision made after thoroughly examining and questioning the potential impacts of each candidate’s policy programme.