Democrat challenging Ted Cruz reverses stance on another key issue as polls tighten

Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for his seat in the Senate, on Friday reversed his position on whether or not biological men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

In a new advertisement, Allred announced that he does not believe that males should be allowed to play girls’ sports and accused Cruz of being a liar for suggesting otherwise. Allred, however, has been a vocal opponent of laws banning biological males from girls’ sports and has supported legislation that would have forced public schools to let male-to-female transgender athletes join girls’ sports teams.

“Ted Cruz is lying again, but now he’s lying about our children,” Allred said in the new ad. “I’m a dad, I’m also a Christian. My faith has taught me that all kids are God’s kids. So let me be clear: I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying.”

Colin Allred out with a response to what’s now three GOP TV ads hammering him over trans issues.

“Let me be clear: I don’t want boys playing girls’ sports, or any of this ridiculous stuff Ted Cruz is saying.” pic.twitter.com/mSEkIq8a6y

— David Weigel (@daveweigel) October 11, 2024

Though Allred denies having believed in letting boys play girls’ sports he supported the Equality Act in both 2021 and 2023, which, among other things, would have required public school districts to allow biological males who identify as transgender girls to play on female sports teams. The law also would have mandated that schools allow trans-identifying males to enter girls’ locker rooms.

“This is truly desperate and pathetic,” a Cruz campaign spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Things have gotten so bad for the Allred camp that they’ve resorted to flat-out lying on the airwaves. The logic here is truly mind-boggling, considering this is so easily debunked.”

Allred also cosponsored a resolution in March 2023 calling for the establishment of a “Transgender Bill of Rights.” The resolution’s text explicitly calls for ensuring that trans-identifying males can “participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity; [and] use school facilities that best align with their gender identity.”

On the state level, Allred has been a strong opponent of Texas Republicans’ efforts to keep males out of female sports. The congressman condemned a law signed by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott restricting the ability of transgender student-athletes to play on school sports teams that align with their gender identity.

“This is yet another dark, shameful moment for our state as the GOP in Texas is more focused on attacking trans students than fixing the real problems we face,” Allred posted on social media in 2021 regarding the legislation.

The Cruz campaign has spent millions on ads attacking Allred for his past support for allowing transgender individuals to compete in women’s sports, The Texan reported.

Cruz leads Allred by just 3.7 points in FiveThirtyEight’s most recent average of polls. Allred has reduced the gap between him and Cruz considerably in recent months, as the congressman was trailing Cruz by an average of more than 6 points in June.

“With 25 days left until Election Day, Allred is making it clear he’ll do anything to cover up his radical ideology that he knows is not resonating with Texans,” the Cruz campaign spokesperson told the DCNF. Allred has contradicted his past positions on numerous occasions during his Senate campaign.

The congressman, for example, has pledged to be tough on the border as a senator by “secur[ing] the border” and “add[ing] more” border patrol agents if elected despite having previously condemned Immigration Customs and Enforcement as “un-American,” “damaging” and “harmful to our public safety.” Allred has also condemned the border wall as “stupid” and “racist,” only to later use a barrier at the southern border as the backdrop for one of his campaign ads.

Many of Allred’s donors harbor anti-police and anti-Israel views, despite his publicly stated stances to the contrary. Allred has also aligned himself with the Human Rights Campaign, an activist group that supports revoking custody from parents who refused to “affirm” their child’s decision to change their gender and demanded that Congress fund sex changes for members of the armed service.

“Day after day Colin Allred shows Texans who he really is,” a Cruz campaign spokesperson previously told the DCNF. “He is a radical who will destroy Texas and America. His record on transgender issues puts our children and families at risk.”

The Allred campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

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