A new poll shows the race in Texas between Democrat Colin Allfred and Republican Ted Cruz for Cruz’s U.S. Senate seat continues to be tight.
The survey of 800 voters released Friday by Texas Public Opinion Research showed the Texas congressman trailing Cruz by 4 points (47 percent to 43 percent), but with a margin of error of 3.5 percent, the two could very well be tied.
Cruz, who has occupied his Senate seat since 2012, is known for his tough stances on border security and abortion, both issues that voters said were important to them this November.
The poll follows a similar trend in recent weeks: Cruz has maintained a narrow lead over this Democratic rival. If Allred can sway enough voters, he would become the first Democrat senator for Texas since 1993. Cruz was reelected in 2018 by a narrow margin of 2.6 percent.
Democrat remains unknown to many voters
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Voters surveyed in the Texas Public Opinion Research poll saw Allred as fairly liberal, giving him a 6.8 out of 10, compared to Vice President Kamala Harris, who got an 8.3. In contrast, Cruz was rated 1.6 by a base group that identified as 43 percent conservative.
The group viewed Allred relatively favorably, with a 35 percent approval rating, although 44 percent of voters did not know who he was. Cruz had a 47 percent favorability rating.
Cruz has been aware that his win is uncertain, warning supporters in July that Texas was a battlefield.
“Everyone says look, there’s no way you can lose. It’s Texas. You’re Republican. It’s a reelection,” Cruz said.
“Every crazy wild-eyed leftist in New York City or Chicago or San Francisco, they go online, and they give to whoever’s running against me…Look, they are coming after us.”
What matters to Texas voters?
Among the issues discussed in the survey were the values Texans hold most dear. “Freedom” won out at 33 percent, with “family” coming in second, 10 points behind.
Values of respect, fairness and opportunity came much further down the list for voters.
On immigration, Latino voters in the state had similar views to overall voters, telling pollsters that they cared about community safety and slowing the flow of migrants over the southwest border.
Forty-eight percent of those asked said they wanted the border secured and illegal entries limited, but they also wanted increased legal pathways.
Texans questioned for this latest poll were split on whether the state is headed in the right direction, with 65 percent of Republicans believing it was, compared to 15 percent of Democrats.
Black voters were the most pessimistic about Texas’ direction, while Latinos were relatively even.