Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has won his reelection bid over Democratic Congressman Colin Allred to maintain control of his seat in the U.S. Senate, Scripps News and Decision Desk HQ projects.
Cruz, who has served as the junior senator from Texas since 2013, narrowly edged out the win over Allred, a former NFL player and three-term congressman from Dallas. It was also one of the most expensive races in the country — with $165 million raised between the two candidates.
The race was similar to in 2018, when Cruz barely edged out Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke by less than three percentage points. That was the closest a Democrat has come to winning a statewide race in Texas in 30 years.
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Allred was hoping for an upset Tuesday that would've made him Texas' first Black senator. His first election to his post in 2018 came after besting Republican Pete Sessions, who had represented Texas' 32nd district since its creation in 2003.
Democrats entered Tuesday trying to defend 21 seats in the U.S. Senate, while Republicans had just 11 to hang onto. Currently, Democrats are in control of the Senate by a 51-49 margin when including four independents who caucus with Democrats.
Republicans are hoping to pick up seats in states such as Montana and Ohio to regain a majority.
