(The Center Square) – Texans on Tuesday resoundingly reelected U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and handed the state’s 40 Electoral College votes to former President Donald Trump, both Republicans who previously ran against each other in a presidential primary.
They both won by larger margins than predicted in the polls and after many media outlets predicted Cruz would lose.
According to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, with 84% of counties reporting, Trump won 58% of the vote; Vice President Kamala Harris received 40%.
Cruz defeated U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, by nearly 56% to 42%, according to the Secretary of State’s data with 214 of 254 counties reporting.
In an acceptance speech in Houston, joined by family members, state lawmakers, Democratic District Attorney Kim Ogg, and Houston angel mom Alexis Nungaray, whose daughter was killed by Venezuelan gang members in the U.S. illegally, Cruz thanked his supporters.
He thanked Nungaray “for her incredible courage,” speaking about her daughter’s murder, saying she “has made such a profound difference in this nation.” Nungaray endorsed both Cruz and Trump, urged Americans to vote to secure the border, said Harris “can’t even give me an apology” and lashed out at Allred for criticisms he made about her advocacy.
Cruz also thanked “all of the Democrats who crossed over and supported my campaign,” including Ogg. “She has stood strong for prosecuting criminals.”
A lifelong Democrat, Ogg stood with him during his acceptance speech, wearing red.
Cruz’s “decisive victory,” he said, “should shake the Democrat establishment to its core.”
“People of Texas have spoken, and their message rings clear as a bell across our great state. Texas will remain Texas.”
“The media were ready to write off Texas and [U.S. Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer poured in more than $100 million to our state,” he said, referring to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He thanked Schumer, saying, “I hope we win a few more Senate seats tonight, since you wasted so much money in Texas.”
Allred’s campaign, working with the SDCC, “deployed every trick, every lie and every Hollywood celebrity they could find,” Cruz said. “But Chuck Schumer learned what we’ve always known, Texas isn’t for sale. Texas can’t be bought.”
Over the last two years, Cruz said he’s traveled nearly 10,000 miles statewide, worn out his boots and his voice, but “everywhere I went, I found something that gives me profound hope. Common sense is not dead. It is alive and well in Texas. Everywhere I went, I met Texans who share a simple dream, they want their families safe,” he said, referring to border security and escalating crime in Democratic-led cities.
He also said Hispanic Texans share this dream, which is why they are increasingly voting Republican. According to polls, the majority support building a border wall and sending troops to the border, The Center Square reported.
Trump and Cruz won the majority of the state, and in all rural counties reporting. Data from all historically Democratic border counties had yet to come in, however, in some it appears that Trump won more border counties than Cruz. In each of Trump’s three elections in Texas, polling data shows he gained ground in border counties and among Hispanic voters. Exit poll data indicates Hispanic Texans want jobs, a strong economy and border security, which they believe Trump will provide, The Center Square has reported.
Allred won the Democratic cities of Dallas, his hometown, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso and a few border counties.
Allred, who repeatedly said he would beat Cruz, had not yet issues a statement as of publication.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who endorsed Trump early on, urged Americans to vote for him to secure the border. On Tuesday night, he congratulated Trump and U.S. Sen. JD Vance, his running mate, “on their overwhelming victory in Texas! Texans have spoken! They want strong, conservative leaders who will prioritize economic growth and securing our border. It’s time to Make America Great Again.”
Abbott also congratulated Cruz, saying he “will continue to defend Texas values of freedom, liberty, and prosperity in the U.S. Senate. Working together, we’ll keep Texas, Texas.”
