Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach

"Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz encouraged Texas Democrats to elect U.S. Rep. Colin Allred to the Senate, telling a group of Dallas donors Monday that the race against Sen. Ted Cruz is within reach.

“You’ve got a senate race you can win in Texas,” Walz said. “My God, just do it for all of America. Replace Ted.”

Walz made the remarks during a brief visit to the state for a fundraiser organized by Vice President Kamala Harris’ victory fund. Texas is one of Democrats’ top flip targets in the U.S. Senate along with Florida. An Aug. 31 poll by The University of Texas’ Texas Politics Project put Cruz ahead of Allred by 8 percentage points.

Walz also touched on a number of issues impacting Texas, including the state’s abortion restrictions, which he said “creates a nightmare, and a dangerous situation,” and ballot access laws, which he said were intentionally designed to keep Democratic voters away from the polls.

“For them, it’s much easier to do voter suppression than voter outreach,” Walz quipped of Republicans.

Walz also touched on Tuesday’s presidential debate — the first between Harris and former President Donald Trump — saying that Harris will likely focus on economic issues.

“We get an opportunity tomorrow for Vice President Harris to be on that debate stage to make the case for an economy that’s for everyone,” Walz said.

Macarena Martinez, Cruz's campaign spokesperson, took aim at Walz's comments Monday afternoon.

"Tim Walz has a knack for watching things burn to the ground, so it’s natural that he’s supporting Colin Allred and his campaign," Martinez said in a statement.

The fundraiser, held at the HALL Arts Hotel Dallas, was sold out. It featured several major Democratic fundraisers in Texas, including Regina Montoya, a former Clinton administration official who co-chairs the Lawyers for Harris committee. Attorneys Jill Louis and Paul Coggins and former congressional candidate Sima Ladjevardian also helped host. Several of the same hosts also threw a Dallas fundraiser for President Joe Biden in March when he was still at the top of the party’s ticket.

Despite the presidential campaign’s swings through Texas to raise money, it is not targeting the state as a flip opportunity. The lack of attention irks some down-ballot Texas Democrats, who feel greater attention from the top would give the final needed push to turn the state blue in other races.

Allred so far has kept his race independent of the presidential race, focusing on collaborating with down ballot candidates in the state.

Walz visited Dallas with his daughter, Hope. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, LULAC President Roman Palomares, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilbero Hinojosa and Texas Democratic Party Executive Director Monique Alcala greeted him on his arrival.

Nirenberg, who is term-limited out of his office next year, has traveled the country as a surrogate for the Harris Campaign. He hasn’t made clear his future plans but said during this year’s Texas Tribune Festival that “it would be an honor to serve in a Harris administration” if asked.

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/09/walz-texas-senate-race/.

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