Colin Allred leaves U.S. Senate race to run for Congress

DALLAS - Former Congressman Colin Allred announced Monday that he is ending his campaign for the U.S. Senate and will instead run for Congress to represent Texas’s newly drawn 33rd Congressional District.

Colin Allred drops out of Senate race

What we know:

Allred, who released an official statement Monday morning, said his decision was driven by the current political climate.

"On January 6th I was prepared to physically fight to defend our democracy. Today, the danger we face from Donald Trump is even greater and has added a level of corruption and rigging of our economy that has made it harder than ever for Texans," Allred said. "But I’ve never been more confident that together, we can meet this moment. I’m humbly asking to return to Congress — to keep fighting so that kids who are growing up all across the 33rd district can get the same chances as I did."

The deadline for candidates to file for the 2026 midterm elections is today, Monday. Allred’s announcement means he will challenge incumbent Rep. Julie Johnson, who has already filed for the Democratic nomination in the 33rd District.

Jasmine Crockett expected to run for Senate

The other side:

Allred’s exit from the Senate race clears a major hurdle for Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who is widely expected to announce her own bid for the U.S. Senate today.

Crockett is a second-term representative who has been openly considering a Senate run for weeks, claiming she believes she can achieve what no other Texas Democrat has done in decades. She has a news conference scheduled for Monday to make an official announcement.

Had Crockett and Allred remained in the race, political experts suggested a run-off election would have been likely. State Rep. James Talarico is also seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat and has recently gained popularity on social media for his campaign.

Who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas in 2026?

Ken Paxton (left), John Cornyn (center), Colin Allred (right)

Dig deeper:

The seat, currently held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, is up for grabs in the 2026 election. The Republican primary ticket is crowded with significant candidates, including Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Sen. Cornyn announced in March that he is running for a fifth term in the Senate. He has not lost an election in Texas. His political career includes a win for the Texas Supreme Court in 1990, an attorney general race in 1998, and his initial U.S. Senate victory in 2002.

Who is Colin Allred?

Allred played four seasons in the NFL before becoming a civil rights attorney. He worked in the General Counsel's office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration, under Julian Castro.

In 2018, Allred defeated incumbent Republican Pete Sessions to represent the Dallas area in the then-32nd Congressional District. In 2024, he lost his bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz.

Texas congressional map controversy

The backstory:

Rumblings over Texas' new map began over the summer, when President Donald Trump first signaled he hoped to pick up five more Republican seats ahead of the 2026 election. 

After two special sessions, the first stunted by a Democratic quorum break, the new map was passed. Lawsuits were almost immediately filed by several groups, who lobbed claims of racial bias and disenfranchisement. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom soon introduced Proposition 50, a Democratic version of the same strategy used in Texas, which passed on Nov. 4. The state hopes to balance out the effect of Texas' new map in 2026. 

Last month, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction, which would have temporarily blocked the new map and forced Texas to use the one drawn in 2021. 

Days later, the Supreme Court put a pause on that ruling, which stood as the most recent word on the matter from Nov. 21 until Thursday's opinion. 

Congressional maps are required to be redrawn once per decade, according to the U.S. Constitution. Texas' was last redrawn in 2021, and wasn't set to be reshaped until 2031. 

Mid-decade redrawing isn't unheard of, but it's highly unusual. The last time Texas used the strategy was in 2003, when Republican Rick Perry, the governor at the time, also wanted to benefit his party's standing in the House. Florida also pulled the move in 2015, slightly helping Democrats. 

The GOP currently holds a slim majority in the House of Representatives, which Trump hopes to strengthen by changing the shape of congressional districts in some states, most notably Texas, to make some areas more likely to elect a Republican when they previously leaned to the left.

When is the US Senate primary in Texas?

Texas's primary will be held on March 3, with a runoff election held May 26, if necessary.

When is the general election?

The 2026 election will be held on November 3, 2026.

PoliticsTexas PoliticsDallasKen Paxton