In a surprise announcement just hours before the candidate filing deadline, Democrat Colin Allred has dropped out of the 2026 U.S. Senate race and will instead run for Congress in Texas’ newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District.
Allred, who previously represented the Dallas-area 32nd District and ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, said in a statement Monday that a competitive Democratic primary would weaken the party’s chances in the General Election.
“In the past few days, I’ve come to believe that a bruising Senate Democratic primary and runoff would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified,” Allred wrote. “That’s why I’ve made the difficult decision to end my campaign for the U.S. Senate.”
Instead, Allred is seeking to return to the U.S. House—this time aiming to represent District 33, which was recently redrawn. He cited his previous work securing federal resources for the area, which includes parts of Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as his personal connection to the district.
“It’s the community where I was raised and where Aly and I are now raising our two boys. It is my home,” Allred said.
His congressional race pits him against U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, who replaced him when he left Congress for his first senatorial run.
Allred’s exit from the Senate race comes amid the expectation that U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett will also announce her candidacy Monday. State Rep. James Talarico also launched his campaign for the Democrat nomination earlier this year.
It’s not the only last minute shakeup so far on the Democrat side. On Sunday, State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt dropped her bid for a Republican-leaning congressional seat and will instead run for comptroller.
