Colin Allred urges voters to back Kamala Harris at DNC
News

Colin Allred urges voters to back Kamala Harris at DNC

Join the We the Texans e-newsletter to obtain twice-monthly updates on our year-long initiative devoted to boosting civic engagement and chronicling how democracy is skilled in Texas.

CHICAGO — U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, urged Democrats to elect Vice President Kamala Harris throughout the remaining night time of the Democratic Nationwide Conference on Thursday, giving his most specific help for the candidate since she took over the Democratic ticket.

“I’m so proud to be right here to help our subsequent president, Kamala Harris,” Allred stated briefly remarks from the primary stage.

Allred, who’s difficult U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, this 12 months in one of many Senate Democrats’ prime flip targets this 12 months, has to date run his race largely independently of Democrats outdoors the state, specializing in Texas points moderately than yoking his candidacy to the presidential ticket. Throughout an deal with to the Texas delegation on Thursday morning, Allred leaned closely into attacking Cruz with out mentioning Harris.

Allred’s remarks Thursday night time had been transient relative to different conference audio system, and his endorsement remained comparatively muted. He centered most of his 3-minute deal with on beating Cruz and former President Donald Trump, whom he derided as “me-guys.”

Rep. Colin Allred speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention | DNC Day 4

“, the kind to speak a giant recreation, solely care about themselves, however you don’t need to get caught with them at a barbecue,” Allred stated. “We’ve obtained a message for the me-guys. ‘We’ is extra highly effective than ‘me’.”

“We are going to restore reproductive freedom. We are going to safe the border. We are going to shield Medicare and Social Safety,” Allred continued. “And we’ll flip the web page and write a brand new chapter for this nation and elect Kamala Harris to be the subsequent president and beat Ted Cruz.”

Allred garnered sustained chants of “Beat Ted Cruz,” a senator who himself says he’s essentially the most reviled Republican amongst Democrats behind Trump.

After Allred spoke, a Cruz spokesperson stated, “Can’t remark Colin confirmed Texas tonight who he actually is” and added, “Colin Allred is a far left radical who desires open borders, boys in women loos, and our police defunded.”

Allred shared the stage with different Home Democrats in aggressive Senate races, together with Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin and Arizona’s Ruben Gallego. Michigan and Arizona are each thought of extra aggressive than Texas. He spoke shortly earlier than Harris was set to take the stage to shut out the conference.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, chaired the conference on Thursday. Kim Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed within the Robb Elementary College taking pictures, was included in a gaggle dialog with others impacted by gun violence. Mata-Rubio ran unsuccessfully for Uvalde mayor final 12 months.

Harris’s marketing campaign has confirmed to be one thing of a double-edged sword for Allred. On the one hand, her historic candidacy seems to be boosting Democratic enthusiasm that would assist down-ballot candidates like him. However he’s additionally been reluctant to indicate an excessive amount of enthusiasm for the Democrat, as he tries to court docket impartial voters in a crimson state.

Consequently, he’s stored her at an arm’s size. He didn’t be part of her for any of her half dozen appearances in Texas in July. And his preliminary endorsement of her was murky. He has not formally posted a marketing campaign assertion endorsing her, however his marketing campaign has informed reporters that he’s backing the vice chairman.

“I need to each run for this workplace the way in which I plan on serving in it, which is that I am centered on Texas,” Allred stated in an interview Thursday morning. “We’ve a really singular alternative, which is who’s going to serve us for the subsequent six years. It is going to be till 2030, previous the … time period of the subsequent president.”

Allred acknowledged that voters he’s making an attempt to court docket might not be as supportive of Harris, who was a way more progressive lawmaker throughout her time within the U.S. Senate. Allred has voted in opposition to his occasion on current messaging payments, together with on the administration’s dealing with of the border.

“What I am making an attempt to do on this marketing campaign is be sure that the Texas I do know will get the illustration that it deserves, and so sure that, after all, will imply that we will attempt to be reaching out to people who possibly will not be the identical targets as another campaigns,” Allred stated.

A ballot launched Thursday by the College of Houston’s Passion College of Public Affairs confirmed Allred 2 factors behind Cruz. It’s a more in-depth margin than Cruz’s 2018 reelection in opposition to Beto O’Rourke, the place Cruz received by slightly below 3 factors.

The Harris marketing campaign doesn’t take into account Texas a battleground and doesn’t plan to put money into the state. The quick runway for the marketing campaign, which launched after President Joe Biden stepped down from the ticket final month, has compelled the marketing campaign to be laser centered on its most attainable states.

“On the finish of the day, our duty as a presidential marketing campaign is to make sure we get to 270 [electoral votes],” Harris marketing campaign supervisor Jen O’Malley Dillon stated at a DNC occasion on Tuesday. “I might like to get to an even bigger quantity than that, however that’s all we care about.”

Allred wasn’t involved Harris’ marketing campaign wasn’t focusing extra on Texas. His Senate marketing campaign — like all Democratic statewide campaigns in Texas — largely deliberate its technique with out anticipating an inflow of sources from the highest of the ticket. Texas Democrats launched final month the primary coordinated marketing campaign led by a Senate candidate in a long time, bundling sources for candidates throughout the poll.

“There are vital issues that might be occurring up and down the poll, particularly on the presidential stage,” Allred stated throughout his interview. “I perceive that. However for us, we’ve got a really singular alternative, which is who’s going to serve us for the subsequent six years.”

Disclosure: College of Houston has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partially by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full checklist of them right here.

Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections

  • When is the subsequent election? What dates do I have to know?


    Election Day for the final election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration deal with is Oct. 7. Functions to vote by mail have to be acquired by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.

  • What’s on the poll for the final election?


    Along with the president, eligible Texans have the chance to forged their ballots for a lot of Texas officers working for workplace on the federal, state and native ranges.

    This consists of representatives within the U.S. and Texas homes and the next elected workplaces:
    -1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz)
    – 1 of three Railroad Commissioners
    – 15 State Senators
    – 7 State Board of Schooling members
    – 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court docket
    – 3 members of the Texas Court docket of Legal Appeals
    – 5 Chief Justices and varied justices for Texas Courts of Appeals

    – Decrease-level judges and native county workplaces can even seem on the poll:
    – Varied district judges, together with on legal and household courts
    – County Courts at Legislation
    – Justices of the Peace
    – District Attorneys
    – County Attorneys
    – Sheriffs
    – Constables
    – Tax Assessor-Collectors

  • How do I be certain that I’m registered to vote?


    You possibly can examine to see in the event you’re registered and confirm your data by the Texas Secretary of State’s web site. You’ll want one of many following three mixtures to log in:
    Your Texas driver’s license quantity and date of beginning.
    Your first and final names, date of beginning and county you reside in.
    Your date of beginning and Voter Distinctive Identifier, which seems in your voter registration certificates.

  • How do I register to vote if I haven’t?


    You possibly can request a postage-paid utility by the mail or discover one at county voter registrars’ workplaces and a few submit workplaces, authorities workplaces, or excessive faculties. You can too print out the web utility and mail it to the voter registrar in your county.

    Functions have to be postmarked by the Oct. 7 deadline. Obtain your utility right here.

    Moreover, you’ll be able to register to vote by the Texas Division of Public Security whereas renewing your driver’s license. You could possibly register to vote on-line in the event you’re additionally allowed to resume your license on-line. That is the one type of on-line registration within the state.

    After you register to vote, you’ll obtain a voter registration certificates inside 30 days. It’ll comprise your voter data, together with the Voter Distinctive Identifier quantity wanted to replace your voter registration on-line. If the certificates has incorrect data, you’ll want to notice corrections and ship it to your native voter registrar as quickly as attainable.

    The voter registration certificates will also be used as a secondary type of ID whenever you vote in the event you don’t have one of many seven state-approved photograph IDs

  • What can I do if I’ve questions on voting?


    You possibly can contact your county elections official or name the Texas Secretary of State’s helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights teams can also be serving to voters navigate election issues by the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition has hotlines out there in different languages. Incapacity Rights Texas additionally assists voters with disabilities.

  • Learn extra
Supported by 

TribFest Keynotes Introduced! Be there when Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin take the keynote stage at The Texas Tribune Competition! Whitmer will speak with Texas Tribune co-founder Evan Smith about her memoir, her key victories in Michigan and the significance of each vote. Youngkin and Smith will shut out TribFest with a dialog about his document, the state of his occasion and a conservative coverage agenda for America. Discover the total program of 300+ audio system and 100+ occasions. Get tickets right this moment.