Democrats bring differing styles in fight to take on Ted Cruz

Joseph Morton, Tribune News Service

US Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas says he’s delivered for Texans thanks to a consensus-building approach that crosses the partisan divide. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio pitches his more confrontational style of putting Republicans on the spot as the best way to get results amid GOP obstructionism. And state Rep. Carl Sherman of DeSoto, a longtime minister, says voters are tired of political bickering and want a moral leader who can rise above the fray. Those are the three leading contenders in a crowded March 5 Democratic primary, all vying to take on Republican incumbent US Sen. Ted Cruz. Early voting begins Feb. 20.

Texas hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than three decades, but the party smells opportunity after Cruz’s narrow 2018 victory over former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

Cruz, who says he’s raising millions across his campaign committee and other fundraising entities, insists that he’s more aligned with Texas voters. Allred, 40, enjoys frontrunner status in the primary based on prolific fundraising and public polling that shows him in the lead. He often sounds like someone who has already secured the nomination, directing much of his rhetorical fire at Cruz rather than primary rivals. The three-term congressman highlights his willingness to reach across the aisle, with the nonprofit Common Ground Committee identifying him as the most bipartisan member of the state’s delegation.

That group’s scorecard is based on criteria such as co-sponsoring bills with members of the other party, rather than assessing ideology or evaluating voting records. “I’ve been laser focused on the race against Ted Cruz, but I think that’s also my pitch to Texas Democrats,” Allred said. “I am best positioned to both beat Ted Cruz in November, and then bring our state and our country back together, through the way I’ll serve in the United States Senate.” Gutierrez, 53, describes Allred as a “nice person” but views his emphasis on bipartisanship as misguided happy talk in the face of a Republican Party that has embraced bare-knuckle tactics. He points to his battles with GOP lawmakers in Austin as evidence he’s better suited to take the fight to Cruz in November and then stand up to Republicans on Capitol Hill. “No amount of bipartisan hand-holding or trying to sound like a Republican is going to make them like you more or make them vote for you, because they’re not,” Gutierrez said. “Those are the real differences between Colin and I.” Sherman, 57, says he’s running an unconventional campaign, one that’s rooted in a call for moral leadership. He often quotes Bible verses when outlining policy views and avoided uttering Cruz’s name during a 45-minute interview.

“I don’t think it’s about him,” Sherman said. “It’s about the fact that we need people who are going to focus on the problems and the issues that everyday Texans have, not trying to score points and gin up people to get angry about this person or that person.” How they got here Gutierrez was born and raised in San Antonio, his father a Mexican immigrant. His mother, from South Texas, died while he was a baby, and his father remarried a Mexican immigrant. Gutierrez joined the Texas House in 2008 and defeated a Republican incumbent state senator in 2020. His Senate district includes Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in 2022.

Gutierrez, an immigration attorney, said he was ready to retire from public service until that day’s horrors lit a fire in him. He describes being haunted after watching hours of law enforcement body camera footage featuring carnage beyond what’s shown in the most graphic horror movies. Gutierrez worked closely with Uvalde victims’ families in the aftermath of the massacre, pushing for gun-safety bills.

He was stymied in the Republican-controlled Legislature, but his fiery and persistent advocacy raised his profile and established a reputation for challenging those in power. Gutierrez says he wants to take the fight for gun-safety measures to the US Senate, citing widespread support even among Republicans for proposals such as raising the minimum age to buy assault-style rifles and requiring universal background checks. His blueprint for success is illustrated by a suicide prevention hotline for farmers that he pushed through the statehouse. He offered his proposal as an amendment to a broader bill. Conservatives have praised the hotline and credited it with saving lives. Born and raised in Dallas by a single mom, Allred was captain of the Baylor University football team and played for several years in the NFL before a neck injury ended his playing career.

Allred went to law school and became a civil rights attorney, serving in the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama. He points to projects he’s helped bring to Texas during his three terms in Congress. That includes leading the drive to bring a VA Medical Center to Garland and a bipartisan bill signed into law authorizing construction of the Dallas VA Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury Center, as well as a new veterans medical center in El Paso.