Republican Sen. Ted Cruz won reelection for a third term on Tuesday, warding off Democratic Rep. Colin Allred in a tighter-then-expected race in Texas.
Both NBC News and Fox News called the race forMr. Cruz, who was leading Mr. Allred by more than 9 points Tuesday night with nearly three-quarters of all votes tallied in the Lone Star State.
Mr. Cruz ran ahead of his opponent for much of the race, though Mr. Allred began to gain ground on him in the latter stages of the campaign, which prompted Democrats to throw more money into the contest in a long-shot bid to win in the Republican stronghold.
The incumbent did not rest on his laurels, aggressively campaigning against Mr. Allred and painting him as a radical liberal who votes in lockstep with the Biden-Harris administration.
Democrats’ late engagement in the race was prompted in part because of Mr. Allred’s growing momentum and also because of their dimming chances to hold on to Sen. Jon Tester’s seat in Montana. They hoped that heavy spending coupled with hammering Mr. Cruz’s stance on abortion would prove enough to topple the Texas lawmaker.
With Mr. Cruz victorious, Democrats must win every other race that they are defending in Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to keep their grip on power.
The West Virginia Senate seat flipped Republican Tuesday night as Gov. Jim Justice beat Democrat Glenn Elliott for the position being vacated by Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Manchin III.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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