Colin Allred

May 1, 2023May 1, 2023

Allred To Tackle Cruz

Allred to tackle Cruz? A rumor circulating in both Dallas and DC circles this weekend is that Collin Allred will challenge Ted Cruz in 2024.

Colin Allred was a NFL linebacker and then civil rights attorney in the Obama administration.

After Beto O’Rourke’s loss against Greg Abbott and John Cornyn the path forward seems tough. It begs the question: How does Allred tackle Cruz in a statewide race?

Allred beat Pete Sessions in 2018 – the son of former FBI Director William Sessions. The senior sessions was the first FBI Director removed from office.

The 32nd Congressional District is also a safe Democratic seat after redistricting. It is unclear Allred’s long term plans given the uphill nature of the battle in front of him.

Allred to tackle Cruz

Colin Allred reportedly faced ethics investigations for workplace behavior considered inappropriate for a freshman Congressman.

Since his election, Allred has reportedly been a prolific fundraiser and has brought dignitaties to Dallas, but his record is otherwise thin on accomplishments.

March 7, 2022June 21, 2022

Allred Soft On Russia

Former Vice President Mike Pence accused Colin Allred of being soft on Russia for not supporting the KeystoneXLpipeline in an earlier Congressional vote.

Allred reacted via press release. His statement in part is below.

“It is abhorrent for Mike Pence and the GOP to use the war in Ukraine to score cheap political points. Ukrainians are fleeing their homes and losing family members to a senseless invasion by a murderous dictator. “

“This is the same Vice President who stood with Trump as he cozied up to Putin and did nothing while he blackmailed the Ukrainians and withheld the arms they needed to defend themselves.”

Some have been critical of the 32nd District Congressman for trying to run against Donald Trump instea of Antonio Swad or Justin Webb, who will face one another in the Republican runoff.

Allred’s Local History Mixed

Colin Allred is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and recently took a CODEL – a Congressional Delegation trip – to Ukraine recently.

The two term Congressman has been considered vulnerable since his first election and has concentrated on securing his own seat rather than working locally to build a strong Democratic base. He lost the chance to face Brad Namdar in November after voters in the primary placed him fifth.

He was asked by the Congressional Black Caucus to give a response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union as a way to raise his profile.

Allred reportedly faced an ethics investigation two years ago over harrassment allegations, but neither he nor the House Ethics Committee would comment.

Additionally, last year when Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh came to Dallas he avoided taking questions about why SBA was not funding loans to local nonprofits.

Locally nonprofits received loan qualifications, but SBA staff never finalized the loan to keep them afloat. The student was briefly detained by staff believed to have been associated with Secretary Walsh or the Congressman.

August 20, 2021June 21, 2022

Indie Centrist Candidates Coming

Two North Texas Democratic incumbents may be facing indie centrist candidates in the upcoming 2022 election after gerrymandering says two sources close to Austin decision makers.

US Representative Colin Allred and State Senator Nathan Johnson may face not one, but two, candidates in the 2022 general election.

Indie Centrist Candidates

Allred has benefited from official administration visits like Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh’s summer visit, but may still be gerrymandered into a tougher district making his progressive voting record harder to defend.

Nathan Johnson, similar to Allred won in 2018 riding an anti-Trump wave, that may not exist in 2022 with Trump off the ballot.

Since 2020, many local Republicans have been associated with QAnon and the GOP voting losses of suburban women voters to Democrats over the past four years. The most recent in North Dallas is probably Barry Wernick.

The Republican Party currently has four candidates running for office in Texas Congressional District 32 per Ballotpedia. They are Montgomery Markland, Brad Namdar, Ricardo Salazar, and Gary Slagel.

No candidates are listed for State Senate District 16, but the Dallas County Republican Party, suffering from its own dysfunction, currently lists candidates who lost their primary races back in 2018.

Additionally, Don Huffines, who lost his re-election bid against State Senator Johnson four years ago, is aggressively running for Governor taking swings at Greg Abbott over the border and the electric grid failure. It is not obvious who would be running for his old seat, but his brother was Dallas County Republican Chair.

June 11, 2021July 8, 2021

Marty Walsh Photo Ops Dallas Without Answering Questions

United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh was in Dallas yesterday providing a photo op for United State Representative Colin Allred and the administration’s American Jobs Plan. While he did a lot of talking, he did not answer a lot of questions.

Walsh did a multistop tour in Dallas including the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce, Garland Veteran’s Administration facility, and the Semones Family YMCA.

His tour was focused on pushing the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan, but locally economic development has been questionable at best.

Walsh tweeted that the YMCA location helps “make child care accessible and affordable, invest in early childhood programs, and provide development opportunities to young adults.”

Marty Walsh Missed Opportunity

One area of concern was a high school student believed to be from Hillcrest who tried to ask Secretary Walsh questions about the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The student had started a nonprofit focused on bringing assistance to children with cancer.

The nonprofit has received a loan qualification, but SBA staff have not finalized the loan to assist the nonprofit in staying afloat. The student was briefly detained by staff believed to have been associated with Secretary Walsh or Rep. Colin Allred.

Rep. Allred’s staff did say in a statement that this was a constituent services issue they would look into, but no questions were allowed during the photo op with Secretary Walsh at any of the locations he visited on this topic.

September 28, 2020September 28, 2020

Colin Allred Facing Ethics Investigation?

Is Colin Allred facing a House Ethics Committee investigation? Two sources say the answer to that quesiton is yes and that a complaint has been filed related to workplace behavior and harassment by the freshman Member of Congress.

There has been no response to requests for comment at either his Congressional or campaign office, but one person says this is typical of Allred who says one thing and does another. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also declined to respond or deny the allegations.

Another national campaign staffer says his office environment is “hard to work in” because of how he acts. They continue, “It’s why so many people move from his campaign to others quickly. He thinks he is still the high school jock who can skip the classwork.”

Colin Allred is an alumni of Hillcrest High School. He is currently serving as the U.S. Representative from Texas’s 32nd congressional district. He defeated Rep. Pete Sessions in 2018. He has also worked as a lawyer and former professional football player.