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The ad has raised eyebrows among those who support the Texas congressman in his race for U.S. Senate against Cruz.
A Texas Democratic congressman running to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has embraced far-right language around gender identity in a new ad, raising eyebrows, including at the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy group, which endorsed him earlier this year. Rep. Colin Allred, who has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, finds himself on the defensive as Cruz’s campaign bombards Texas voters with attack ads centered on fear of transgender people, particularly athletes.
Cruz’s campaign has heavily focused on transgender people’s participation in youth sports, airing multiple attack ads during prime-time slots, including NFL games, the Houston Chronicle reports. These ads avoid directly addressing transgender youth, instead accusing Allred of supporting policies that undermine fairness in sports, particularly for cisgender women. In one super PAC ad, a hulking figure wearing an “Allred” jersey tackles a young girl on a football field, reinforcing the portrayal that his support for inclusive policies harms women in sports.
On Friday, Allred released an ad attempting to blunt the impact of Cruz’s messaging by adopting more conservative talking points. “I’m a dad. I’m also a Christian. My faith has taught me that all kids are God’s kids,” Allred says in the ad. “So let me be clear. I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports or any of this ridiculous stuff that Ted Cruz is saying.”
This rhetoric has caused concern among LGBTQ+ advocates who expected more from Allred. Republicans consistently delegitimize transgender people by claiming that transgender girls are boys pretending to be girls.
Allred’s ad has sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ activists. Erin Reed, an award-winning transgender journalist, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Democratic candidate Colin Allred becomes the first Democratic candidate to capitulate to anti-trans ads and jump into targeting trans people as a result of anti-trans advertisements. Very shortsighted and a stinging betrayal for his potential future LGBTQ constituents.”
Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director at Media Matters for America, was equally frustrated, sarcastically writing, “So glad that this is what he’s lighting all that money on fire for.” She added, “The trans folks I know (me included!) are very, very nervous that, given the pressure they are under, Dems will go the way of [Britain’s] Labour [Party] on trans rights. I do not think that will happen, but it feels like lots of campaign reporters are trying to manifest that outcome right now.”
A spokesperson for the HRC, which endorsed Allred earlier in the year, expressed disappointment and called on the congressman to clarify his stance. “Texans have, for too many years, been subjected to Ted Cruz’s hate and lies. They are ready to turn the page,” HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf told The Advocate. “Congressman Allred needs to explain his comments in this ad. They simply don’t square with what we know about his record. For years, he has supported our community and worked to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. Texans deserve to finally have a leader who values equality and freedom.”
In another ad, Cruz’s campaign accuses Allred of supporting “taxpayer-funded sex-change surgeries” for military personnel and allowing “boys in girls’ sports.”
Allred, a former NFL linebacker who represents the Dallas area in Congress, is running an uphill campaign against Cruz, who has held his Senate seat for two terms. Even though Texas is a red state, polling suggests the race is tightening. According to recent Marist College polling from October 3 through 7, Cruz leads Allred by a slim margin of 5 points among likely voters, with Cruz at 51 percent and Allred at 46 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.
Jeff Sharlet, a journalist and author known for his investigative work on the Christian right and far-right movements, also weighed in on the controversy. Sharlet wrote on X, “Triangulate? Sure. Moderate? You know your voters, @collinallredtx. But this—invoking faith to attack kids, calling yourself a dad—is BS. I’m a proud dad of a trans kid, Allred. You want to talk to me about your ‘thoughts’ about my kid & their peers? And any Democrat who wants to tell me my kid or others are expendable for the sake of holding the Senate…so Democrats can do the far right’s unconstitutional, hate work for it — go ahead and block me.”
Sharlet’s voice adds to the growing criticism from progressive corners, with many seeing Allred’s comments as a betrayal of the values he had long stood for. Allred is a supporter of measures like the Equality Act, which aims to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Equality Texas Government Affairs Director Miriam Laeky criticized Cruz’s tactics while defending Allred’s broader record on LGBTQ+ rights. “LGBTQIA+ Texans are under attack, and we are working with campaigns up and down the ballot on issues facing queer Texans,” Laeky told The Advocate in a statement. “Allred’s history in Congress, including his support for the Equality Act, demonstrates that he believes in a level playing field for all Texans — trans Texans shouldn’t be relegated to the sidelines. Women are stronger than Ted Cruz thinks we are. Why is the Senate’s weakest man speaking for the strong women of Texas?”
Cruz’s reliance on anti-transgender rhetoric mirrors Republican strategies in other competitive races nationwide. According to a New York Times analysis, Republicans have spent over $65 million in television ads focused on transgender issues across more than a dozen battleground states.
In an interview with Spectrum News in September, Allred addressed the attacks, defending his long-standing support for LGBTQ+ rights. “What I’ve supported is basic protections for folks on the basis of their sexual identity or who they love or how they identify and trying to make sure that they’re not discriminated against,” he said. “In the Texas that I believe in and that I grew up in, we mostly want to leave folks alone, and that’s all we’re trying to do — extend the same protections that exist for race, for national origin, for gender, to people on the basis of sexual identity."
A spokesperson for Allred directed The Advocate to the congressman’s press release announcing the ad but did not respond to questions.
Editors note: This story was updated to include Jeff Sharlet's comments on X.
