Largest papers endorse

'The choice is clear': Texas' largest papers endorse UC Berkeley law grad running against Ted Cruz

By Kent German

Republican Ted Cruz will not have the backing of Texas’ major newspapers in his bid for a third term in the U.S. Senate. Instead, the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Austin American-Statesman all have endorsed his Democratic opponent, Rep. Colin Allred, a graduate of UC Berkeley Law School. 

It’s the latest twist in a closely watched race that will help determine which party controls the Senate next year. Though Texas is a reliably Republican state, Cruz is leading in polls by just 3%. 

Ousting Cruz, a Trump loyalist and a staunchly partisan politician, would be a boon for Democrats who are defending a razor-thin majority in the upper chamber. A victory in Texas would not only remove a longtime Democratic antagonist, but it also would help the party offset seats it’s likely to lose in states like West Virginia and Montana.

Both of the state’s two largest newspapers pointed to Cruz’s divisiveness in their endorsements.

The Dallas Morning News opened its endorsement, published Sunday, by pointing to the Oct. 15 debate between Allred and Cruz. Though the paper said it doesn’t agree with everything Allred has said, the debate showed it was more important to heed the Berkeley Law grad’s record of working with Republicans.

“The three-term congressman from Dallas has demonstrated over time that both the words and action of bipartisanship matter to him,” the endorsement said. It’s a quality, the paper’s editorial board wrote, that Cruz has not always embraced.

“Cruz has long embraced a politics of division,” they said while citing his votes not to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election win as Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. “His us-against-them rhetoric has defined his political career since at least 2012.” 

In its Oct. 18 endorsement, the Houston Chronicle praised Allred’s willingness to compromise and his reserved, moderate approach to doing his job. The newspaper urged readers to choose the “solid, smart and dedicated” Allred over Cruz, “the inveterate provocateur.”  

“In terms of temperament and what’s best for Texas, the choice is clear,” the endorsement said. Allred, a 41-year-old civil rights attorney and former professional football player, deserves to be our next U.S. senator. And Texans deserve a senator who will show up.”