The Texas Tribune reports:
With more than four months left before Election Day 2018, Democrat Beto O’Rourke had campaigned in all of Texas’ 254 counties in his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. It was a novel strategy central to breaking through in a Republican-controlled state that national Democrats had largely written off.
Six years later, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred is taking a much more traditional approach to campaigning as he tries to do what O’Rourke couldn’t: topple Cruz. Allred has made only 125 campaign stops so far, focusing instead on getting his message out early and directly to wide swaths of voters in TV, radio and digital ads.
Most notably, national Democrats are showing their confidence by investing in the state more proactively than in the past. The near-success of the 2018 O’Rourke campaign, the development of Democratic campaign infrastructure and the roster of U.S. Senate seats up for election this year are pushing the party to take Texas more seriously.
Read the full article. Cruz defeated O’Rourke in 2018 by 2.5 points. According to the linked piece, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is pouring much more money into this year’s attempt to unseat Cruz, something that rankles former O’Rourke staffers.
U.S. Rep. Collin Allred is taking a different approach in his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Increased digital ad placements and a targeted campaign trail, with only 125 stops, have helped Allred gain national Democrats’ confidence. https://t.co/KZbIXaOUbv
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 4, 2024