Ted Cruz, Colin Allred debate: What the candidates said about the issues

DALLAS - Ted Cruz and Colin Allred met for their first and only debate for the 2024 election. The debate covered a number of key issues for Texans. Here's what the candidates had to say. Click on the topics below to jump to a specific section.

• Abortion
• Border Security
• Economy
• Transgender athletes and women's sports
• January 6th
• Foreign Policy
• Inflation
• Fertility
• Affordable Housing in Texas

Opening Remarks

Colin Allred Opening Remarks: Well, thank you all for moderating. And, Senator Cruz, thank you for joining. I'm Colin Allred. I'm a fourth generation Texan. I'm a husband and a father. I was raised here in Dallas by a single mom, was a public school teacher, and I've been shaped by every part of this state. My grandfather was a customs officer in Brownsville. That's where my mom and aunt were born and raised, where I spent a lot of my childhood. I was captain of the Baylor football team in Waco. Trained for the NFL draft in Houston. And I've served my hometown in Dallas in Congress for the last six years. In that time, I've been the most bipartisan Texan in Congress. I'm the exact opposite of Senator Cruz, who's the most extreme senator in the United States Senate, maybe the most extreme in the last 30 years. But that's not enough. He's also only focused on himself. That's how you can go to Cancun when millions of Texans need you and hundreds are dying. The truth is, we don't have to be embarrassed by our senator. We can get a new one. That's what this election is all about. That's what I'm asking Texans to give me a chance to do.

Ted Cruz Opening Remarks: Thank you to everyone at home listening. You know, Texas is an incredible place. I'm the son of an immigrant who came from Cuba with nothing, penniless, wash dishes, making $0.50 an hour, but came to Texas to seek out the American dream. And Colin Allred is the son of a single mom who became a football star. He went on to Baylor, went on to the NFL. Now as the United States Congressman. It is incredible that both Congressmen Allred and I have the great privilege of representing the people of Texas in the United States Congress. Tonight, I'm going to ask you to listen very carefully to the difference between words and actions. Colin Allred is going to try to say an awful lot of words that sound reasonable. But what he's not going to talk about is his own record or my record, and I'm over and over again going to take us back to actual records, his record and my record. We're doing an awful lot right in the state of Texas. Colin Allred wants to change that. I want to keep Texas, Texas.

Abortion

Moderator Jason Whitely: Senator, the first question is for you. Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States. There's no exception for rape or for incest, as you know. In 2021, you co-sponsored a bill in Congress that included those exceptions. But a year later, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, you said that you agreed with the Texas law that has zero exceptions. So tonight the question is, where do you stand on this? And we're asking for your personal opinion, as a Texan and as a father. 

Cruz: Well, listen, abortion is an issue that many Texans, many Americans care deeply about. And it's an issue that people of good faith can disagree. People are genuinely and deeply pro-life. People are genuinely and deeply pro-choice, and there are all sorts of positions in between. I agree with the United States Supreme Court that under our Constitution, the way we resolve questions like that, questions on which we have real and genuine disagreements, is that the ballot box. Is voting. And that's why the state of the law now is that the legislature in Austin sets the laws in Texas. You wouldn't expect Texas' laws to be the same as California. You wouldn't expect Alabama to be the same as New York. I will say, though, in Texas, on the question of abortion, there are a lot of areas we disagree, but there's also a lot of consensus. In Texas, we overwhelmingly support that parents should be notified and have to consent before their child gets an abortion. In Texas, we overwhelmingly agree that late-term abortions in the eighth and ninth months - that's too extreme. And I'll tell you, in Texas, we overwhelmingly agree that taxpayer money shouldn't pay for abortions. Unfortunately, Congressman Allred's voting record rejects that Texas consensus. He has voted in favor of striking down Texas' law that gives parents the right to be notified and consent. He's voted in favor of striking down Texas' law and legalizing abortion up to and including the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy. That's extreme, and it's not where the people of Texas are. 

Allred: Listen, it's time to finally tell the truth here. Senator Cruz just looked into a camera and lied to Texans about my position. Let's be very clear. You should look into the camera and speak to Kate Cox, who's watching right now, and explain to her why you said that this law that you said is perfectly reasonable, why she was forced to leave her two children behind and flee our state to get the care that she needed. Or look into the camera and talk to Amanda Zeroski who's watching right now, and explain to her why it's perfectly reasonable that because she had a complication in her pregnancy and was denied care so long, she may never be able to have children of her own. Or to the 26,000 Texas women who have been forced to give birth to their rapist's child under this law that you called perfectly reasonable. It's not. This is not freedom. I trust Texas women to make their own health care decisions. You know, Ellie and I had two baby boys here in Dallas in the last five years. You're scared the entire time. You don't know what they're going to say, but I can't imagine if the doctor came in, said there's a problem with the baby or problem with Alli. So there's nothing I can do because Ted Cruz thinks he knows better. That's not who we are as Texans. When I'm the United States Senate, I will restore a woman's right to choose. Will make Roe v Wade the law of the land again. And we'll make these stories of seeing these horrific experiences going on all over our state, something of the past. That's my commitment to Texans. 

Moderator Jason Whitely: Thank you. Senator, you did not directly answer the question. 

Cruz: So I want to be very clear. If you listen to Congressman Allred's answer, at no point did he make any reference to his own record. He desperately wants to hide from the fact that, as a congressman, he voted to strike down Texas' parental notification law. He voted to strike down Texas's parental consent law. He voted to legalize late-term abortions, including the eighth and ninth months. He says he wants to codify Roe versus Wade, but that's not what he voted for. And I'll tell you what, tonight, I suspect he's going to run away from his record on a whole lot of issues. We have a website. It's called AllRedFacts.com, AllRedFacts.com. Every time he gives an answer, just click on AllRedFacts.com, and we'll show you the exact vote he cast. Now I asked for what the law should be in Texas. That's a decision that will be made by the state legislature. You know Congressman Allred is running all sorts of ads saying that I made this decision. I don't serve in the state legislature. I'm not the governor. The folks that make the laws here are the state legislature and the governor. He knows that, but he's trying to deceive Texas.

Allred: I want to jump in here because it's too important. I want to be very clear to the people of Texas. I support the protections and the restrictions under Roe. But Senator Cruz just called himself pro-life. You're not. You're not pro-life. It's not pro-life to deny women care so long that they can't have children anymore. It's not pro-life to force a victim of rape to carry their rapist's baby. It's not pro-life that our maternal mortality rate has skyrocketed up by 56%. That's not pro-life, Senator. So to every Texas woman at home, and every Texas family watching this, understand that when Ted Cruz says he's pro-life, he doesn't mean yours. 

Moderator Jason Whitely: Senator, I want to give you 60s. I want to ask again, why is this an issue you won't address about saying whether you support or oppose exceptions like this? 

Cruz: And I'm curious, why do you keep asking me that? But yet hold on a second. I've asked Congressman Allred twice about his voting record and the fact that he voted to strike down Texas's parental notification law and parental consent law. You haven't asked him about that. That is his record. He doesn't deny it. He gives language that is disconnected from the actual voting record he has. And listen. My view I believe in democracy. If if Congressman Allred does not like the decisions that the state legislature has made, if he doesn't like the decisions the governor has made, then he is welcome to run for state legislature or run for governor. But in Congress, neither one of us have a vote. I have not voted to strike down Texas law. Congressman Allred has voted to tell you as a mother at home, you have no right to know if your daughter's getting an abortion. That's an extreme position. And I can tell you the overwhelming majority of Texans do not agree with Congressman Allred's extreme position against parental rights, against the rights of a mom and dad to be with their daughter in a horrific and challenging time.

Border Security

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: Congressman, this next question is for you. In 2018, you called Trump's proposal to expand the border wall racist. You said my generation will be the one that tears it down. But last year, you said you supported President Biden's plan to expand the border wall. Congressman, why the change in position?

Allred: Listen, thank you for the question. This is personal for me. My family's from Brownsville. And my grandfather was a customs officer there. He joined the Customs Department in 1939. It's where my mom and my aunt were born and raised. And where I spent a lot of my childhood. And I know that our border communities are real places where folks are trying to raise their families and get ahead. Time and again, Senator Cruz treats our border communities like he's going on some kind of a safari. He comes down, he puts on his outdoor clothes and tries to look tough, and he goes back to Washington and does nothing to help. In fact, he does worse than nothing. When the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, $20 billion for border security, he said, 'we don't need a border bill.' That's what he said. And, you know, listen, this is a pattern for him. He's never there for us when we need him. When the lights went out in the energy capital of the world, he went to Cancun. On January 6th, when a mob was storming the Capitol, he was hiding in a supply closet. And when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the United States Senate, he took it down. We don't have to have a senator like this. Let me be very clear. I believe in physical barriers as part of a comprehensive strategy to secure the border. We had a bill for $20 billion for 1000 new Border Patrol agents, for more immigration judges, more asylum officers to help us deal with the backlog. I wanted to make sure we passed that. When I'm in the Senate, we will. And we'll also fix our broken legal immigration system. Senator Cruz has had forever, and he's done nothing to solve this problem. Why would we believe that he will with six more years? 

Cruz: Well, I want to note once again, in his entire answer, Congressman Allred made zero reference to anything he's actually done in office. Congressman Allred has said publicly, if you believe border security matters, he thinks you are a racist. He calls the border wall, quote, "that racist border wall." And he has pledged to tear down that "racist border wall" personally. And he said, quote, "we will not have that wall in this country." And by the way, that's been his consistent voting record. He's voted against the border wall not once, not twice, but three times. Every single time there's a serious measure in the House to secure the border, Colin Allred votes no. Look, it's a pattern we've seen, actually, at the presidential level, because it's what Kamala Harris does as well. And understand at home, Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. Their records are the same. I've served with both of them. They voted in favor of open borders over and over and over again, and now they are desperately trying to hide that from the voters. Now at the end. Congressman Allred said, well, gosh, Cruz hasn't done anything on that. Let's talk about my record. When Donald Trump was president, I worked hand in hand with President Trump to secure the border, and we achieved incredible success. We produced the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years. That's what Joe Biden, Kamala Harris inherited. It's what Colin Allred inherited. And they deliberately broke it and opened the border. And Texas is paying the price.

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: Congressman Allred, with your 60-second response, can you address the original question, why was Trump's border wall bad? 

Allred: What I've always said is that we have to make sure that, as we're talking about border security, that we don't fall into demonizing. And you can take something out of context from seven years ago, which is what he's trying to do, but he doesn't want to talk about what he said this year, which is that we don't need a border bill. So I have a simple question for you. Sure. The $20 billion for a thousand new Border Patrol agents, for 100 new immigration judges, for 4000 asylum personnel to help us have technology to catch fentanyl coming across the border. Why did you not support that, Senator?

Cruz: It's a great question, can I take his time?

Allred: I'm sorry, you can't have my time. You can jump in after me. I'm not yielding my time. The point is, is that we had a bill. This is not. This is a pattern. He talks tough, but he never shows up. We have a phrase for this in Texas. All hat and no cattle. That's what Senator Cruz is. Six more years of this. Come on. He's had 12 years to do it already. Give someone who actually will a chance. 

Cruz: Congressman Allred has memorized his lines. Well, I will say this though. He asked, what have you done? We produced the lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45 years, working hand in hand with President Trump. He didn't address that. He also didn't address the fact that it didn't take a bill for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Colin Allred to break the border. It took a president refusing to enforce the law. You know, you can watch and listen to Congressman Allred talk about the border on AllredFacts.com. But I tell you what he also said just a couple of years ago, he said, you know, I don't hear much about the border here in Dallas. It's not a top of mind issue. And I got to say, I represented Dallas in the whole state for 12 years. I hear about it everywhere I go. I hear about it in Dallas. The folks concerned about the Dallas woman, who Venezuelan gangs broke into her house, tied her up, pistol whipped her with a gun, threatened to cut her fingers off and robbed her. I hear about it in Houston from the mother of Jocelyn Dungaree, the 12-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by Venezuelan illegal immigrants that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released. And when you say you don't care about it, you're not listening to Texas.

Economy

Moderator Jason Whitely: One of the big pain points for Texans, as you likely know, Senator, was the high cost of insurance. In the last five years, premiums for home and auto insurance in Texas have risen faster here in Texas than anywhere else in the country. Some insurers have stopped writing new policies, or they limit the coverage that they offer Texans. This has happened in other places like Florida, like California, where climate change is causing extreme weather events. The question, Senator, does insurance need a federal solution?

Cruz: Well, no, it doesn't. Insurance is much better handled at the state level. And I'll tell you when it comes to inflation. Inflation is caused by the policies of Kamala Harris and Congressman Allred. Kamala Harris and Congressman Allred. They came in, and they went on a spending binge. They spent trillions of dollars we didn't have. They borrowed trillions of dollars from China that we didn't have. And they ran the printing presses. And I and many others said, if you do this, you're going to drive up inflation. And they didn't care. And I'll tell you, Texans at home are experiencing and if you're a senior on fixed income, you're finding it harder and harder to pay your bills. If you're a working couple just buying your first home, you're discovering a 7% mortgage is very different than a 2.5%. If you're trying to fill your tank with gas or you're a single mom worried about getting braces for your daughter, the inflation caused by Kamala Harris and Colin Allred's spending binge is hurting Texans across the board. And I got to tell you, inflation is in particular, been exacerbated by Kamala Harris and Colin Allred's war on energy and oil and gas in Texas. Understand over and over again, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris put executive orders in place to hurt energy. And Colin Allred has voted against Texas Oil and Gas and Energy over and over again. He voted in favor of Joe Biden's ban on new permits to export liquid natural gas, and he voted in favor of Joe Biden's ban on new gasoline powered engines starting in eight years. Two thirds of all new cars have to be electric, and Collin Allred voted in favor. That drives the inflation home.

Allred: Well, listen, I agree that inflation, that insurance is better handled at the local level, at the state level. But let's talk about inflation, because, you know, I was raised by a single mom who's a public school teacher, in a state where we don't pay our teachers enough. And so I know what it's like to go through the grocery store line and swipe your debit card and just say a little prayer. I hope that this week you can afford it. That's why I've been so laser focused on lowering folks' costs and lowering the cost of your prescription drugs on your health care, or your child care on your housing. You know, we thought it was a good idea to cap the cost of insulin for folks on Medicare at $35 a month. I voted for it. Senator Cruz apparently disagreed. We tried to cap it for everyone because 1 in 4 Americans are rationing their insulin. You know what rationing your insulin means? That you're not taking the medication you need to survive. And so we said, let's make sure that this is affordable. I was willing to do and voted for it. Senator Cruz, vote against it. You know, and it's not surprising. He's also one of the biggest recipients of campaign donations from big pharma lobbyists in the entire United States Senate. It's true. But this is a pattern. You know, this is somebody who goes to the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun. Do you really think he cares about inflation and about working families? Well, not his entire career. He's spent time trying to cut taxes for the rich and not looking out for working folks. When I'm in the Senate, we have somebody who will try to represent all 30 million of us and make sure we keep a focus on lowering your costs everywhere we can. 

Cruz: You know, this once again, Congressman Allred takes no responsibility for his own voting record, takes no responsibility for the trillions of spending that have driven inflation. Takes no responsibility for the war on Texas energy and LNG. And oil and gas. Instead, what he says is, well, gosh, he's voted to lower the price of insulin. Well, so did I. I voted on the Senate floor to lower the price of insulin to a dollar a vial. And you know what? The Democrats blocked that. I'll tell you, President Trump put in a program to put in place affordable insulin. As soon as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came into office, they pulled that out. You know what Congressman Allred also voted in favor of? He voted in favor of taking $300 billion from Medicare and using it to pay for Kamala Harris's pet project, using it to pay for health insurance for illegal aliens. That is driving up the cost. Just Medicare premiums under Congressman Allred have gone up 20%, and they are projected to triple. I will fight to lower premiums and make health care more affordable and give you, the consumer, greater choice. 

Transgender athletes and women's sports

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: All right. Let's turn to a topic that's been a hot button issue in your Senate campaign. Congressman, your opponent is saying in political ads that you refuse to protect the integrity of women and girls' sports. The most recent ad actually came out today. Congressman, where do you stand on transgender athletes and women's sports? 

Allred: Let's be very clear about what's happening in this campaign. This is, you know, to be a former NFL linebacker, to recognize a Hail Mary when you see one. This is a desperate last-second attempt by Senator Cruz to distract you because he can't defend his own record. Listen, I'm a dad. I'm a Christian. Of course, I don't support these ridiculous things that he's talking about. But what he wants you thinking about is kids and bathrooms. So you're not thinking about women in hospitals because it's indefensible. It's indefensible that we have Texas women being turned away from hospitals bleeding out in their cars, in waiting rooms, being found by their husbands. So all of a sudden, and this is a good one, all of a sudden, the protector of women and girls, it's going to be Senator Cruz. I think it's perfectly reasonable that if a girl is raped by a relative of hers, a victim of incest, that she should be forced to carry that child to term and give birth to it. You think that's perfectly reasonable? But now you're going to set yourself up as a protector of women and girls. It's laughable. And listen, he's trying to distract you, because what can you run on? I've never seen somebody who runs for office. On what he hasn't done. He's been one of the least productive senators in the entire country. You know that. I talk to Texans all the time who say, I can't think of anything Ted Cruz has done to help me in my life. When I'm your senator, I'll keep focused on the issues that matter to you and lower your costs on securing the border and restoring a woman's right to choose. That's what I'll be focused on. 

Cruz: Well, it was striking once again. In that answer, he said not a word about his own record. I have to admit, at the beginning of it, it reminded me of Kamala Harris in our debates, answering everything. Look, I was born in the middle class. It's some lines that sound nice that ignore his record. Let's just talk about his voting record again. You can go to AllredFacts.com. You can see the actual vote. Four times he has come out for men playing in women's sports, for boys playing in girls' sports. He is a co-sponsor. And he voted for a law called the Equality Act. The Equality Act mandated that boys be able to go in girls' bathrooms, in their locker rooms, in their changing rooms. He voted for it. That is his record. Number two. There was a bill. It was a very simple bill. It was narrowly defined. It was protecting women and girls' sports. He voted no. The only issue on that bill was whether biological boys should compete against our daughters. That's not fair. Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. It is not fair for a man to compete against women. The third time, he signed on to something called the transgender Bill of Rights explicitly, and he co-sponsored it, mandated that boys compete against girls in sports. And just two weeks ago, Congressmen Allred joined 100 radical Democrats in demanding that our military allow drag shows on military bases, pay for soldiers to have sex changes using taxpayer money, and pay for children to be sterilized and have sex changes on military bases. Again, that's extreme. That's not Texas. That is his voting record.

Allred: I mean, you know, it's a lot and I stand here as a proxy for millions of Texans who are sick and tired of this act. You know, when Ted Cruz starts talking about team sports, you got to watch out, because the only position he ever played was left out. And I'm not trying to be mean, Senator. But, you know, just, you know, sit this one out, please. Listen, I don't support boys playing girls' sports. I don't. (Cruz: Why did you vote for it?) Why don't you let me speak? Let me speak? What I think is that folks should not be discriminated against. And what Senator Cruz should try to explain to you is why he thinks they should. But ultimately, what he's trying to do is a little game called distraction to distract you from his record of doing horrific things to folks in the state of abandoning us when we need him most, of not being there when we need him. That's what he's trying to do, and that's why he's spending so much time on this. 

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: Parents of transgender youth are worried about the safety and well-being of their kids and say, ads like these, like the ones that you are running, are dangerous. What do you say to those parents?

Cruz: Look, we should protect every child and we should protect every person. I have advocated protecting the safety of every child, of every person, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity. Everyone deserves to be protected against violent crime, against discrimination. But Congressman Allred hasn't said that. He hasn't voted for that. He's voted repeatedly. Look, I know a lot of y'all at home, for example, saw two biological men competing in women's boxing at the Olympics. That was wildly unfair. You know, you know, my youngest daughter plays volleyball. It's not fair for a biological boy or man, a teenage boy to spike the volleyball at her. And he has voted repeatedly in favor of that. If you want to see extreme, I encourage you to read the letter. Congressman Allred signed. It is on AllredFacts.com. You can read it. Don't trust my description of it. Read the words yourself. You know what he argued for? Military bases should have drag shows and should be able to fly a transgender flag above it. Look, call me old-fashioned. I think the only flag that should fly above our military base should be the American flag. 

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: That's your time, Senator. Congressman, 60 seconds to respond. And if you can clearly outline where you stand on transgender and women's sports.

Allred: Well, listen, as I said, I don't support boys playing girls' sports. But let's be clear about the Equality Act, which was a bipartisan vote in Congress. It was endorsed by the US Chamber of Commerce. For folks at home who don't know what that is, that's basically the biggest speaking organ for the business community. But the National Association of Manufacturers, this is not a radical bill. What it's saying is that folks shouldn't be discriminated against. But what Ted Cruz wants to do, apparently, is. But he also, again, just wants to distract you. That's what he's going to do. He's been doing it for 12 years. Folks are sick of it. I hear from you all the time about it. Let's turn the page and let's elect someone else. 

READ MORE: Allred on Cruz attack ad: 'I don't want boys playing girls sports'

January 6th

Moderator Jason Whitely: Senator, let's move on to January 6th. In question for you. Your own words and statements have changed since January 6, 2021. At one point, you called the insurrection a violent terrorist act, saying anyone who commits an actual act of violence should be prosecuted. President Trump has said he would consider pardoning the rioters. Would you support that?

Cruz: Listen to my view is clear. I think anyone who commits an act of violence should be prosecuted and should go to jail. If you assault a police officer, you should go to jail for a very long time. And by the way, that's true. Whether I happen to agree with your politics or disagree with your politics. I've spent 12 years fighting to defend the men and women of law enforcement. That's why I've been endorsed by the leaders of organizations, over 44,000 law enforcement officers. That's why I've been endorsed by Kim Ogg, the Democrat district attorney in Harris County. She is the twice elected Democrat, the chief law enforcement officer in Houston. She's endorsed me in this race. Why? Because she wants a senator who will stand with law enforcement, who will lock up criminals and fight to secure the border. And unfortunately, Congressman Allred's record on crime has been terrible. Congressman Allred has voted not once but twice in favor of defunding the police. Let me tell you what a disaster defunding the police had been. The defund the police movement started in 2019. From 2019 to 2023. Let me tell you what happened to the murder rate. In Houston, it went up 29%. Right here in Dallas, it went up 17%. In San Antonio, it went up 57%. And in my view, you know, Congressman Allred is happy to talk about those who committed acts of violence on January 6th. But you don't hear him talking about the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots that burned cities across this country. If you commit an act of violence, you should go to jail and there should be no political favoritism in that regard. 

Allred: That was really something I have to say. You can't be for the mob on January 6th and for the officers. You can't. And it's not funny because you're a threat to democracy. I was on the House floor when we went through the votes. I remember when you objected to the results in Arizona. Y'all at home might remember where you were on January 6th, what you were doing. I know where I was, and I know where he was. I remember when they told us to reach under our seats for these gas masks. I didn't know we had because they had deployed tear gas in the rotunda. The officers locked all the doors. We barred the doors the president walks through to deliver the State of the Union with furniture that we usually use to hold paper. I texted my wife, Allie, who was seven months pregnant with our son Cameron, and at home with our son Jordan, who wasn't yet two, "whatever happens, I love you." I took off my suit jacket, and I was prepared to defend the House floor from the mob. At the same time, after he'd gone around the country lying about the election, after he'd been the architect of the attempt to overthrow that election. When that mob came, Senator Cruz was hiding in a supply closet. And that's okay. I don't want him to get hurt by the mob. I really don't. This election is this accountability. You cannot just be patriotic when your side wins. If for the first time in 250 years, this project of ours, the shared American project, that we did not have a peaceful transfer of power, the folks responsible have to be held accountable. That's why Liz Cheney has endorsed me, is that got involved in this campaign is saying to Texans everywhere, do not put Ted Cruz back in a position of authority because he's done it once, he'll do it again.

Moderator Jason Whitely: Senator, you have 60s for rebuttal. But answer the question, would you support pardoning those convicted in the Capitol riot? 

Cruz: So, look, I think the Biden-Harris administration has persecuted some engaged in a peaceful speech. And if you are being persecuted for peaceful speech, absolutely, you should be pardoned. If you engaged in violence, absolutely not. You should not be pardoned. But let me say something interesting. You know, the far left. They're so angry right now. There's so much hatred. You know, Congressman already just snarled at me. You're a threat to democracy now! Let me be clear. I don't know, Congressman Allred. I have no animus for him personally. But I do know his voting record. His voting record is radical and extreme. And you want to talk about threats to democracy? Let's take a vote that just happened a few weeks ago on the floor of the House. The Save act, the Save act provided that in order to register to vote, you got to prove you're an American citizen. Congressman Allred voted no. 11.5 million illegal immigrants have come into this country under Kamala Harris and Colin Allred's open border policies. And Congressman Allred votes no to protecting our elections and ensuring that people don't vote illegally. That is a threat to democracy. 

Foreign Policy

Moderator Jason Whitely: Let's move on to another topic, gentlemen. Let's shift to foreign policy here. Congressman, you said you think there is no more practical military goal for Israel and that it can achieve in Gaza. As a U.S. senator, though, how would you hold Hamas accountable for the worst terrorist attack in Israeli history back on October 7th of 2023? And what military approach would you like to see Israel take at this point in its war? 

Allred: Yeah, let's begin at the beginning. That October 7th was a horrific terrorist attack by a terrorist organization in Hamas. The worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. They bear the responsibility for this war. This is a war of choice by them. And Israel has a right to defend itself. And I have always stood up for their right to defend themselves. I'm on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I've been on it for the last six years, and I was in Israel not long before the attack happened. I visited a kibbutz along the Gaza border called Kfar Azar while I was there. We shared a meal, and we were also FaceTiming with a Palestinian man in Gaza City who was a father of four, talking about strengthening ties between Palestinians and Israelis. Kfar, also on October 7th, was the site of what an Israeli general called a massacre. And I don't know what's happened to that father of four. I can tell you this, folks on both sides of that fence deserve to have a future, one that's free of the cycle of violence. It's time for us to reach a negotiated settlement to bring the hostages home, to also bring the remains, unfortunately, of the ones who have died in captivity. Hamas must be held accountable, and they will. According to the Defense minister, Yoav Gallant, they are no longer in a position to be able to pursue an October 7th-style attack. But let's also be very clear, there was a vote in the United States Congress to provide aid to Israel, to provide aid to Ukraine, to Taiwan, to help with the humanitarian situation in Gaza. I voted for it. Senator Cornyn voted for it. Ted Cruz voted against it. You can't say that you are for supporting Israel and their right to defend themselves when you vote against that critical funding.

Cruz: I will say this issue is one of the clearest differences between Congressman Allred's record and my record. When I was elected 12 years ago, I resolved then to be the leading defender of Israel in the United States Senate. And I've worked every day to do that, to stand up and fight to support Israel. I am proud to stand with Israel. Our position should be that America stands unshakably with Israel. When President Trump was president, I urged him to move our embassy to Jerusalem. He did, and I was there the day we opened the embassy in Jerusalem. I've never seen such a celebration. When President Trump was president, I urged him to pull out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal. He did, and it was the single most important national security decision of his entire presidency. Congressman Allred has consistently lined up against Israel at the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration. He urged them to send money to Gaza, even though it would go to Hamas. He has supported Kamala Harris and Joe Biden flowing over $100 billion to Iran. 90% of the funding for Hamas and Hezbollah comes from Iran. I'll tell you, Congressman Allred invited a radical imam here in Dallas who calls Zionists monsters and has has compared them to Nazis. Congressman Allred calls them the very best of North Texas. I don't support those who engage in anti-Semitic actions. And I will tell you, the funders of the anti-Semitic protest on college campuses are among Congressmen Allred's biggest supporters. We need clarity. We need to draw a line. And as for me and my home, we will stand with Israel. 

Allred: We have to talk about this because there was a vote. It's not about talking. It's about action. We had a vote in the United States Congress to provide military funding and aid to Israel, to Ukraine, to Taiwan, to address the humanitarian issues in Gaza and around the world. Part of that aid package was $5 billion in the interceptors that were used in the Iron Dome to prevent the Iranian rockets that just rained down in Israel a couple of weeks ago. That happened in spite of Senator Cruz. It was a very illuminating vote because the extremists were the ones who voted against it. The far less voted against it, the far right vote against it. I think there was only 18 senators who voted against it, and Ted Cruz was one of them. So you can't tell me that you support Israel when the rubber meets the road and you're not there. But let's also be very clear. We have to find a negotiated diplomatic settlement to many of these issues. And that is what I'm going to try and contribute to when I'm the United States Senate. 

Cruz: So I need 60s to respond to that charge. There. Now.

Allred: Did you vote for it? 

Cruz: Well, let's let's actually get into it.

Allred: You voted against it. 

Cruz: So Congressman Allred  is right that there was a bill that was on the floor of the Senate. And I oppose that bill. Why? Because I said at the time that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are going to flow money to Gaza and give it to Hamas, but they're going to freeze weapons to Israel. That's exactly what they did. And after that, the House of Representatives took up a bill to provide emergency weapons to Israel. And Congressmen Allred voted no. Understand, every single time, Congressman Allred, right now in this debate, he is echoing the calls of the enemies of Israel, saying cease fire. Now he claims there is nothing else to be done militarily. I'll tell you, when Israel detonated the pagers against Hezbollah, it was one of the most targeted and effective military actions we have ever seen. Congressman already is proud to be supported by J. Street, the radical left organization that undermines Israel at every level. And I've got to say, listen, that's dangerous right now. Kamala Harris and Colin Allred both want the votes of anti-Semites on college campuses. I don't want their vote. And if they threaten Jewish students, they should be arrested. They should be prosecuted. They should be expelled from another country. They should be deported. 

Moderator Jason Whitely: That's your time. But let's stay right here. As you mentioned, you have been a strong advocate of Israel's right to defend itself, but the World Court has found it. It plausible that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention. Why do you think Israel bears any responsibility for the civilian deaths and humanitarian crises in Gaza? 

Cruz: I think there is no country on earth that fights a more humane, a more targeted, a more just war than the people of Israel. The World Court and the International Court of Justice is filled with anti-Semites. They repeatedly attack Israel over and over and over again. And I'll tell you, I've got real experience there. When I was the solicitor general of Texas, I represented the state of Texas before the U.S. Supreme Court, fighting against the World Court. And we won a 6-3 victory because the World Court was trying to attack Texas just like it's trying to attack Israel. Listen, Israel goes in number one. It deliberately targets military targets. I mentioned the pagers before. I've never seen a military action that was actually the leadership of Hezbollah who decided who would get these pagers. And you had to be just enough of a psychopathic terrorist that Hezbollah wanted you on that pager. That's who detonate it. It was precisely targeted. You know, Israel when they go in, when they see, for example, military operations in a building, they send text to all the civilians there. They drop leaflets, they drop what's called a knock bomb on the top. That just makes a noise to tell civilians, clear out there's no other nation that goes to the steps it does to avoid civilian casualties. You know who's responsible for the civilian deaths? Hamas, because they use human shields. And let's talk about records. I introduced legislation to sanction Hamas for using human shields. That legislation passed into law. It is one of the 101 different pieces of legislation I've enacted. And Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refused to enforce that law. They will not sanction Hamas and Congress will not stand up. 

Moderator Jason Whitely: Congressman, does Israel bear any responsibility for civilian deaths and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza? 

Allred: Well, listen, I will agree with Senator Cruz that Hamas is a terrorist organization that hides amongst the civilian populace. This is part of their battle plan. They anticipate and want civilian casualties. They put their tunnels beneath playgrounds, beneath elementary schools. They do this knowing that they make it more difficult to then target them without it causing civilian casualties. No one in Texas or across the country should shed any tears for Hamas. What we can do at the same time is have, within our hearts, the capacity to say that we want to prevent unneeded civilian suffering. And that is something that I've always believed that we can separate. And we've done this our entire history as a country. This is what makes us great. It's what also makes democracies like Israel great, is that we can separate the terrorist leaders of a group from the people who are being subjected to that. And so to me, what we have to keep our focus on, is trying to provide as much aid as possible to innocent civilians in Gaza, to make sure that children are not being unnecessarily targeted. This has to be our responsibility. This has to be Israeli responsibility. And that's something that I'll work on. Continue to work on the Senate when I have a chance. 

Cruz: You know, again, Congressman Allred did not address his own record. And that's a pattern at every level. You can go to AllredFacts.com and you can see his vote. You can see his vote against providing weapons to Israel. You can see the letter Congressman Allred signed. He joined with over 100 left-wing Democrats at the beginning of the Biden administration, saying, please send money to Gaza. Even though it'll go to Hamas to be used for terrorism. And by the way, I led 19 senators in urging the administration do not send money to Gaza because it will be used by Hamas for terrorism. We now know how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris resolve that. The administration concluded it was, quote, highly likely that the money would be used by Hamas for terrorism. But you know what they did? They sent it anyway. They waved U.S. anti-terrorism laws. When it comes to records, you know, you didn't hear anything Congressman Allred has done. What I have done is, as I said, authored and passed 101 different pieces of legislation, including legislation targeting Hamas. They should be sanctioned. And I stand with Israel that they should destroy Hamas.

Inflation

Moderator Jason Whitely: Let's move on to another issue here. It's a pocketbook question, something you mentioned earlier tonight, Congressman, you said while you were at the grocery store as a child, you'd swipe the debit card, and you say a little prayer, you and your mom. Since the pandemic, though, food prices have soared 25%. As everyone in the studio knows here tonight, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats, though, wrote to President Biden to use his executive authority to lower food prices. Since you did not sign that letter, what is your idea to bring down food prices? 

Allred: Well, listen, as I said, this is personal for me. I know exactly what it's like when the cost of anything goes up. I mean, I know what it's like to be dead, dead, dead broke, and to hope that something comes along. So that you can get through that week. And that's why I've been so laser focused on controlling Texan's costs and lowering them everywhere I possibly can. One of those is the child tax credit for six months it was in place, and it helped us lift millions of Texas kids out of food insecurity. You know, the North Texas Food Bank told me that they could track when the child tax credit hit folks' bank accounts because need for their services would go down. We wanted to extend that. We thought it was the right thing to do to lift kids out of food insecurity, but Senator Cruz opposed it. When I'm in the Senate, I'll bring back the child tax credit. I'll also make sure that we cut taxes for the middle class. This has been a tough time for the middle class. We have to make sure that we're, you know, alleviating their tax burden. And I'm going to invest in a new generation of housing to make sure that we can increase our housing supply and lower the overall cost of housing. Something has to be a national priority. And when I'm in the Senate, it will be. 

Cruz: Well, let me briefly address the child tax credit, because that was an integral part of the 2017 Trump tax cuts that I spent hundreds of hours working on fighting for and supporting, and that Congressman Allred opposed. The Trump tax cuts worked incredibly well. We saw the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, the lowest African-American unemployment ever recorded, the lowest Hispanic unemployment ever recorded. We saw real results. Now, the Democrats this past year, what they wanted to do with the child tax credit is they wanted to relax the work requirement for parents. They wanted parents not to have to go work. That's a mistake. We need parents to get back to work. Now, your question was about inflation and food.  Listen, Kamala Harris and Colin Allred have undermined our farmers and ranchers every day. I'm proud to be endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau to fight for the farmers and ranchers in Texas. They put bureaucratic regulations that make it harder and harder for farmers and ranchers to survive. But nothing hurts more than the cost of energy. Listen, whether it is the natural gas that goes into fertilizers that they use to farm crops, or whether it is the diesel in their tractor or the diesel in the trucks bringing food to the stores, the energy skyrocketing prices are the result of Congressman Allred and Kamala Harris's war on Texas oil and gas. Congressman Allred voted for billions of new taxes on natural gas. He also voted in favor of Joe Biden's ban on liquid natural gas, new permits, and he voted in favor of Joe Biden's ban on new gas engines. Starting in eight years, two thirds of all cars have to be electric. 

Moderator Jason Whitely: I want to redirect the question, though, to families like yours years ago. How do you lower food prices here? Your name wasn't on that letter for the president to use executive authority. How do you do it? 

Allred: There are some times where there is price gouging going on, and we have to have the agencies that are responsible for that looking into it. But it's also true that some of these, you know, supply chain issues and, you know, consumption issues from the pandemic are still ironing themselves out. But let me be very clear about something. I opposed Joe Biden's pause on LNG exports. In fact, you don't have to just believe me. You can go read the op ed that I wrote in the Houston Chronicle opposing it, saying it was the wrong thing for Texas Energy. That was also wrong for our national security, because while we're trying to wean our European allies off Russian gas, you know, it was replacing that Texas LNG. And so I want everyone out there to understand that I will be a defender of the Texas energy economy, but I'll grow it and all of the above way. And what Senator Cruz is telling you is simply not true. 

Fertility

Moderator Gromer Jeffers: Senator, both of you say you believe in protecting access to fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization, but the process effectively ended for a while in the state of Alabama after a state Supreme Court decision there. If both Democrats and Republicans agree on protecting IVF, why hasn't it happened? 

Cruz: So it's a great question. It's very important. I'm going to get to it in a second, because I do need to respond to what Congressman Allred just said before, which is I said at the outset, there's a difference between words and actions. If you noticed, on LNG, what Congressman Allred said was, "Well, I wrote an op-ed about it." And it's true. He does claim he supports LNG. But when it came time to vote, there was a vote in the House of Representatives. Do you support Joe Biden's ban on new permits on LNG? And Congressman Allred voted with Joe Biden. He voted against Texas jobs. By the way, in South Texas, there's an $18 billion new LNG export terminal struck down by left-wing judges, the kind of judges Congressmen Allred supports that cost 5,000-6,000 high-paying jobs in South Texas. This is an agenda where his record, yes, his words sound good, but his voting record. Remember his first four years in the House? He voted 100% with Nancy Pelosi, he didn't deviate on a single vote, which meant he voted against oil and gas and Texas jobs repeatedly. All right, IBF. Incredibly important topic. I am the author of legislation that would protect IVF as a matter of federal statutory right. I joined with Alabama Senator Katie Britt to put a clear protection of IVF. I strongly support IVF. You ask why it hasn't passed? Because Democrats, very cynically, they stood up and objected. Why? Because they want to campaign on the issue. And if my legislation had passed, it would be unequivocal in federal law that IVF is protected for every American, and it is Democrats who blocked.

Allred: Well, listen, you know, if Senator Cruz is telling you something that doesn't match what you're seeing from others, then it's probably because he's lying. I was named by an outside group, the most bipartisan Texan in Congress. This is something I've worked out, not just in an election year, like he's trying to change his image in this election year. I've done it over the course of my six years in Congress. Let's talk about IVF, because IVF didn't need protecting until he got his way of going after it. No one was thinking that we needed to protect IVF until he was singularly responsible for pursuing, by putting place in place judges at the district court level, the circuit court level and Supreme Court level, folks who would put at risk this miracle technology. And you know what? It's not just that. When he ran for president in 2016, he supported the personhood amendment. You know what that means? That would make something like IVF illegal, but also ban certain forms of birth control. You did. You did when you ran for president in 2016. You can look it up, folks. You don't have to believe me again. You've been seeing him lie to you for 12 years. Let's have a senator who doesn't. And I will always protect IVF. But it was at risk because of him. 

Cruz: Well, let me say, on IVF, you can watch the debate on the Senate floor where I tried to pass strong, clear federal legislation, and the Democrats stood up and objected it cynically. But I got to say, there's something Congressman Allred says this independent group rated him the most bipartisan member of the Texas delegation. I've got to say, I found that quite odd. So I went and looked at this group, because how can someone who votes 100% with Nancy Pelosi, which does what he did his first four years, how can he be bipartisan? How can Colin Allred… Colin Allred, voted 100% With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris their first two years in office. How could it be called the most bipartisan member? And then I discovered this group. Its board consists of a bunch of Democrat donors. They say on their website. We don't look at votes. We don't examine every vote. So he can vote. He votes exactly like Nancy Pelosi. But yet this group gives him camouflage. True or false? Your first four years in the House, you voted 100% with Nancy Pelosi. 

Affordable Housing in Texas

Moderator Jason Whitely: Kamala Harris, Congressman, when she wants to give $25,000 in down payment assistance to people wanting to buy their first homes. She's also proposing a $40 billion innovation fund to build more affordable houses in Texas. The question tonight, do you support those? 

Allred: Okay, so let me just address the bipartisanship thing, because over 70% of the bills that I've co-sponsored over six years have been bipartisan. You know what? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is another group. You might have heard of, Senator Cruz. They gave me an award, the Jefferson Hamilton Award, for my bipartisanship. So that is not in question. What is in question is your recent transition to trying to be someone who wants to actually get things done, instead of being a hyper partizan. Now, let me go back to housing here, because to me, the focus has to be on increasing our housing supply. We have to build more housing to build more affordable housing. We have to make sure that it's connected to our communities. This has to be a focus for us and a national priority. I was in the Obama administration at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This has been a need for us for a long time, but we haven't addressed it fully. When I'm in the Senate, we will make sure that we move a bill to try and build a new generation of affordable housing across Texas and across the country. That will help lower costs for folks. It also increases the supply. We have to do it here in DFW. We've got 300 people a day moving here. And you know what? We also have to invest in our infrastructure. And I want to talk really quickly about that because there's a bill to bring $35 billion to Texas over five years. The bipartisan infrastructure law, Mitch McConnell voted for it. I voted for it. Senator Cruz, vote against it. When you're growing as fast as we are, you have to have the infrastructure to keep up with it. But he apparently didn't think that was a good idea. 

Cruz: Well, when it comes to housing, nothing is driving up housing costs as powerfully as the 11.5 million illegal immigrants that Congressman Allred and Kamala Harris have let in with their open borders. And they want to keep letting in. But let me say, when you talk about bipartisanship and record, let's compare our actual records. Congressman Allred mentioned the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed me in this race, because I've been the leading champion of jobs here in Texas for 12 years. In six years in the House, Congressman Allred has authored and passed three pieces of legislation; three. In my time in the Senate, I have authored and passed 101 different pieces of legislation, two different bills, two to create new interstates I-14 from West Texas to East Texas. All the way to the Atlantic Ocean. That was Raphael Warnock and me, a liberal Democrat. Cruz Warnock. We passed it. That's going to produce thousands of new jobs. I-27, a new interstate that's going to run from Laredo through West Texas, through the Panhandle, all the way up to Montana. That was Cruz Lujan, Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico that passed. That's going to create thousands of jobs. I authored the legislation to expedite the permitting on four brand-new bridges in South Texas that is going to create thousands and thousands of jobs for South Texas farmers and ranchers. The Texas Association of Business refers to my legislation expediting those bridges as the single most important legislation for Texas-Mexico trade since the US, Mexico, Canada trade agreement. Congressman Allred has no record to point to. 

Allred: Well, listen, this is something that is going to have to be a priority for us because it is an important question. You know, how do you pay for something? Because there are certain investments that bring back more than what you put into it. When you have a housing shortage, you have to build more housing because that's driving up every other cost. And it's really hurting our young people. When you have an investment in infrastructure, like the $35 billion Texas is getting, that's happening because I voted for it, in spite of Senator Cruz voting against it. That is something that's a smart investment that's going to help us grow our economy. When it comes to the Chips and Science Act, which was a good idea that I was a part of passing in the House, that John Cornyn was hoping to pass in the United States Senate to bring back high-tech manufacturing to Texas and America. We are voting for it. Senator Cruz is voting against it. Our economic output has been in spite of him. And when I'm in the Senate, I'll make sure I'm part of the hard work that we have to do to roll up our sleeves and get things done, like addressing housing. 

Closing Remarks

Allred: Well, I want to thank y'all for moderating. You did an excellent job. I want to thank Senator Cruz for a spirited debate. Listen, we're all Texans. My idol, John Lewis, used to say that we might have come here on different ships, that we're in the same boat now. We're all Americans and we're all Texans. We need a leader who will bring us together around our shared values. That's what I've tried to do in my six years in Congress. That's the exact opposite of what Senator Cruz has done. Whatever he says tonight, you've seen it for 12 years. He's been one of the most divisive senators in the entire country. If you don't like how things are going in Washington right now, well, you know what? He is singularly responsible for it. He has introduced this new kind of anger-tainment where you just get people upset, and then you podcast about it, and you write a book about it, and you make some money on it. But you're not actually there when people need you. Like when the lights went out, when 30 million Texans were relying on a senator to spring into action, he went to Cancun. That's who he is. If you give me the chance to be your United States senator, I'll never abandon you. And I'm asking for your vote and for your support in this election. 

Cruz: The stakes in this election are the highest of my lifetime. Congressman Allred and Kamala Harris are both running on the same radical agenda. Congressman Allred has pledged to be the 50th vote for Chuck Schumer to end the filibuster, to end the requirement of 60 votes to pass major legislation. That means if Congressman Allred is elected, we will see the Democrats number one strike down every voter integrity law in the country. Number two, add DC in Puerto Rico as states to give them four New Democrats, senators, number three, grant immediate voting rights to every illegal alien in America that would turn Texas blue. And every statewide elected official in Texas would be defeated in the next election. And number four pack the U.S. Supreme Court. That would jeopardize our fundamental rights. I've spent 12 years fighting every single day to defend jobs and freedom and security. Congressman Allred wants to destroy what we've got in Texas because he shares Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris' values. I will fight to keep Texas, Texas.