Ahead of next year’s midterm elections, former Representative Colin Allred, a Texas Democrat, sees the Lone Star State as “maybe the biggest test for Democrats,” telling Newsweek if his party “can build the coalition that we need here, then we can do it anywhere.”
Running for the U.S. Senate, Allred, a former NFL linebacker and civil rights lawyer, is attempting, once again, to do what no Democrat has done in Texas in more than 30 years—win a statewide election. The former three-term congressman ran unsuccessfully to unseat incumbent GOP Senator Ted Cruz last year, but as he pointed out, he did better than Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I’m proud that we outran or outperformed, whatever you want to say, our presidential ticket dramatically around the state, and in some areas where Democrats have really been struggling, like in the Valley, with huge differences, winning counties and flipping counties that [President Donald] Trump was winning as well,” he told Newsweek in an exclusive Zoom interview on Friday.
Why It Matters
Many analysts expect Democrats to perform well nationally in the coming 2026 midterm elections due to a historical trend of the opposition party generally over-performing, in addition to Democrats’ success in recent special elections. However, the U.S. Senate map is expected to be tough for the party. There are only a few possible pickup opportunities for the party, while two currently Democratic-held seats are in swing states won by President Donald Trump in November.
Democrats have consistently hoped to flip Texas, pouring massive sums of money into statewide races for governor and Senate in recent cycles, but ultimately falling short each time. A win in the southwestern state would go a long way next year to help the party flip the Senate, or at the very least narrow the GOP’s majority. With two other prominent Democrats—state Representative James Talarico and former International Space Station (ISS) commander Colonel Terry Virts—already in the race, and other big names speculated to join, Allred needs to convince Texas Democrats that he has the best shot of beating a Republican in the general election.
What To Know
Allred is approaching this Senate primary campaign by working to meet voters where they are. One key strategy has been attending high school football games, something which the former NFL player said is at least partially just for his own enjoyment.
“I enjoy going to high school games and my favorite time playing any sports was high school football. I enjoyed my time in college, I enjoyed the NFL, but it was high school that I enjoyed most,” he told Newsweek.
For Allred, he uses these events as an opportunity to talk with parents, coaches and educators.
“I think in a way that setting is a setting where we can have a conversation that’s just not so explicitly political, where people can be pretty honest and they’re relaxed, having a good time,” he said, who also explained that in that setting, he feels like he is “having some of the best conversations” of the campaign.
Beyond attending sporting events, Allred said he is going to a variety of different settings to meet voters, mentioning barbershops, restaurants and constructions sites. “There are a lot of Texans who are working harder and harder for less,” he said, adding that he wants to be “a voice for those folks.”
Allred expressed confidence in his campaign and Democrats’ ability to flip Texas. “We can win here, and when we do, I think it’ll be something that the entire country can pay attention to,” he said.
Allred’s Plan to Tackle Corruption
The former congressman recently unveiled an anti-corruption plan that calls for specific steps he believes will improve the democratic process and curb the influence of billionaires and corporations in politics.
“I feel really strongly about this, that corruption is not just bad, it’s not just wrong, but that it also hurts people, that it hurts working people in particular,” he said.
Allred’s plan calls for an end to gerrymandering, addresses corporate and billionaire money in politics, aims to strengthen the Federal Election Commission (FEC), pushes to ban individual stock trading by members of Congress and calls for automatically registering eligible voters, among other key priorities.
“It’s about fixing our elections and also trying to fix what I think is a broken Congress,” he said, taking particular aim at stock trading in Congress, something that some high-profile Republican lawmakers have also pushed to ban.
“It’s ridiculous to me that members of Congress are trading stocks. In six years in Congress, I never traded a single stock because I had insider information. It’s an inherent conflict of interest,” Allred said. “For us to unrig what I consider to be a rigged economy, we also have to unrig what I considered to be rigged system, and that means taking on corruption as well.”
When it comes to gerrymandering, Texas has been in the spotlight after GOP lawmakers in the state pushed through new election maps at the behest of Trump over the summer. While nothing is certain in politics, the redrawn districts are expected to net the GOP an additional five House seats.
“I hate gerrymandering period and I think the goal has to be to ban it nationwide,” Allred said, adding that the new Texas maps also specifically target minority communities.
“I think that a fair ruling would find this to be a racial gerrymander, which is still impermissible. Even the Supreme Court has left in place that you cannot discriminate racially in the drawing of districts, and I think this would meet that threshold in my professional opinion,” Allred said.
Despite his assessment, he cautioned that it’s unclear how the courts will actually rule. The current Court has a 6-3 conservative majority, with three of the sitting justices having been appointed by Trump. Allred also said he wasn’t confident that the courts would act quickly to address the issue.
“I do worry about the timing, about whether or not this can be fully heard in time, and also whether they’ll just find a way to get out of doing what I think is a straightforward approach to this,” he said.
Concerns About Free Speech
After the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month, some Republicans and Trump administration officials have floated crackdowns on “hate speech” and targeting critics of Kirk’s and the administration. Allred expressed sadness for Kirk’s family, and said leaders need to unite in condemning political violence. But he also raised concerns about what many see as a crackdown on “free speech.”
“As a dad and a husband, my first thoughts were about Charlie Kirk’s family, just how horrific it was for his wife, for his children. Nobody deserves that. And this should never happen in our politics,” he said.
However, as the administration has floated targeting critics and left-wing groups, Allred said Democrats need to “stand up for the Constitution.”
“I feel this very strongly, that this is not about the individual being targeted. It never has been. In our entire history, it’s never been about the person who’s being targeted and their speech,” he said. “It’s always been about that we as a country have committed ourselves to the idea of free speech. That’s always the ground that we should defend.”
Allred said Americans have always and will continue to “disagree strongly,” but that throughout history Americans have “stood up for this idea that I may disagree with everything you said but I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it.”
“In this country we don’t have to worry that you can’t criticize the administration,” he said. “Here in the United States, we’re the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
What People Are Saying
James Talarico to Semafor on Allred earlier this month: “I really like Colin already, personally. I was probably his most active surrogate in 2024. If he’s the nominee, I’m 100 percent onboard. But I do think I’m tapping into something that’s a little deeper than typical politics.”
Chris Gustafson, communications director at the GOP’s Senate Leadership Fund, in a July statement: “Colin Allred is an out of touch Washington, DC liberal…Texas voters have already rejected Allred for the radical liberal he is, and they’ll do it again next fall.”
What Happens Next
It’s unclear whether additional Democrats will enter the race, as several high-profile names—including Representative Jasmine Crockett and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke—have said they’d consider a run. On the Republican side, Senator John Cornyn is seeking reelection while facing a primary challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton. GOP Representative Wesley Hunt also appears to be edging closer to entering the race.
The Texas primary will be held on March 3, 2026.
Full Transcript of Colin Allred Interview
The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Newsweek: It’s been over three decades since a Democrat has won statewide in Texas. Why do you think this midterm could be the moment that changes and a Democrat wins?
I think Texas is in many ways, maybe the biggest test for Democrats. If we can compete here, if we can build the coalition that we need here, then we can do it anywhere. And so I think it also forces the Republicans in Texas, who have taken my great state and who have gone so far and been so extreme, it forces them to defend some of the things that I think are really indefensible that they’ve done here.
I’m a fourth generation Texan, my boys are fifth generation Texans. I know who we are, I know what’s important to Texans and I want to fight for my state and I know that there are so many folks out there who are hoping that somebody’s going to see them at some point. Because there are a lot of Texans who are working harder and harder for less. They feel like nobody’s listening to them. No one sees them. I talk to them all the time. When I’m working in restaurants, which I’ve been doing, when I’m on construction sites, which I’ve been going to, I want to go to barber shops, and I want to be a voice for those folks. We can win here, and when we do, I think it’ll be something that the entire country can pay attention to.
This is your second go around, you ran in 2024 unsuccessfully against Senator Ted Cruz. I think some would ask, why do you expect a different result going into 2026?
We ran against some pretty strong headwinds in the last election. And I’m proud that we outran or outperformed whatever you want to say, our presidential ticket, dramatically around the state and in some areas where Democrats have really been struggling, like in the Valley, with huge differences, winning counties and flipping counties that Trump was winning as well. But I also felt really strongly that we needed to refocus and recenter around working people and around what they’re going through. And that’s my story. No one has to tell me about it. I don’t have to read a white paper about it, I was raised by a single mother here in Dallas who was a public school teacher. I grew up struggling, growing up, going to our public schools, knowing exactly what folks are going through right now. I made my living by showering after work instead of before it like a lot of working folks do. As a football player, that’s how I paid for my college time and made it to the NFL.
I want to go fight for these working folks and re-center our politics around them, but also our policy. Because every Texan I talk to feels like they’re working harder and harder for less. Like they are spending less time with their kids. They are swimming against the stream and no one is seeing them. No one is helping them. While the stock market is setting records, working people are bringing home less. And they were promised in the last election that their costs were going to go down, that inflation was going to go away on day one. They’d get an economy back where they thought that they could get ahead. And they were lied to. They were just flat out lied to, this big bust of a bill that they passed, it’s one of the biggest wealth transfers from working people to the wealthy in American history.
We’ve seen outright corruption, the kind that we’ve just never really experienced in the modern era in this country. And working people are noticing this. And I think we have to speak directly to them. That’s how we win, but I think it’s also how we bring the country to a better place.
You just touched on corruption and actually that was my next question. I know you unveiled this 12-point plan. Could you just give us some of the highlights of that and why do you think that’s particularly important in this election cycle?
I feel really strongly about this, that corruption is not just bad, it’s not just wrong, but that it also hurts people, that it hurts working people in particular. It comes in many different forms, but this is the first of actually a multi-part plan that we’ll be putting out. It’s about fixing our elections and also trying to fix what I think is a broken Congress.
It does important things like banning gerrymandering. I think we can all see how that is affecting the country. I was a voting rights lawyer before I ever ran for Congress, and I hate gerrymandering. I think it leaves us with more extreme elected officials who are responsible and responsive to only a very small sliver of their primary electorate. I think if you look at the House of Representatives and wonder why it’s so broken, you can point a lot of that to gerrymandering.
I also think we need to have much stronger ethics rules in place. It’s ridiculous to me that members of Congress are trading stocks. In six years in Congress, I never traded a single stock, because I had insider information. It’s an inherent conflict of interest. Trying to get secret money out of our politics, stop the revolving door that we have going on with elected officials and lobbyists. And also just seeing and showing to folks that this corruption shows up in the bills that are passed that are then creating loopholes for special interests while you’re getting screwed. That’s what we’re seeing from folks like John Cornyn for years. So, to me, for us to unrig what I consider to be a rigged economy, we also have to unrig what I considered to be rigged system, and that means taking on corruption as well.
As part of your campaign, you’ve been attending a lot of high school football games throughout Texas. Can you talk about the goal of that strategy and why you think that could help you break through with voters?
Part of it is I just like to and I enjoy going to high school games, and my favorite time playing any sports was high school football. I enjoyed my time in college, I enjoyed the NFL, but it was high school that I enjoyed most. And I’m still in touch with my high school football coaches, they’re still some of the most important people in my life. What I really like doing at these games is talking to folks who work at the school, talking to the athletic directors, the coaches, the principals, and then going to talk to some of the parents in the stands while the game is going on. I think in a way that setting is a setting where we can have a conversation that’s just not so explicitly political, where people can be pretty honest and they’re relaxed, having a good time, they’re watching their kids do what they enjoy doing. And in that setting, I feel like I’m having some of the best conversations that I have out on the road. I really enjoy it.
I think there are a lot of lessons that we could learn in our politics from football, to be quite honest with you, about accountability, honesty, determination, leadership, working together as a team, seeing something as larger than yourself. And the sense of community that you’ll see at a Texas high school football game is something that is probably not seen at all around the country. But it’s a place where the entire community comes together and is enjoying themselves and doing something that I think has a lot of value.
One of your opponents, James Talarico, has spoken quite favorably of you, but of course he’s running against you. What are your thoughts about the challenge coming from him? And why are you the better candidate for Democrats?
I know who I am, why I’m running and what I want to do. I always have felt like—from my athletic career that I embrace competition. I’m fine with competition. I think I do much better when I have competition. But the way I compete is by trying to be the best version of myself. I think that for me, I know why I am in this race. I’m in this race because I feel like stories like mine are getting too hard for other folks to follow, that if you’re raised by a single mother, if you never met your father, my father died when I was 10 years old, he was an alcoholic and went to public schools. Let’s be honest, folks who look like me and come from where I come from usually don’t make it this far.
So what I want to do is ensure that stories like mine are not unique, and that folks have a chance to get ahead. I see us in the business of creating opportunities, not outcomes. I think if we can communicate that to a broad coalition of folks here in Texas, of every different background, from all over, and I think the shared common goal, though, of hoping that their kids can do better than they’re doing, I think not only will I be successful in the primary, but we will be successful in the general election as well.
I’ve got the experience. I know what to do. I know what we can do to address what’s going on, both in our state and the country. And I’m going to go out there and make sure that Texans know that. I’ve been holding town halls all around the state and go into, like I said, working in any place I can find that they’ll let me come work and do a shift so I can talk to folks. I really enjoy that. And I think this is not only how I want to make sure we campaign here, but also how I want to serve, which is what the focus on what ordinary and hardworking people are going through, what they’re talking about when they sit at their kitchen table at night. Those are the same conversations my mom and I had, and I want to be somebody who they think when they’re sitting there, “Well, we know one thing. We know Colin’s on our side.”
You also have Terry Virts in the race and there’s speculation that Jasmine Crockett or Beto O’Rourke might get in. Are you worried that this could turn into a messy primary that ultimately hurts Democrats’ chances of flipping the seat?
I think we all have to do everything that we can in a moment like this. I’m focused on what I’m doing, and I know why I’m doing it. I think that I’ve shown that not only can I win tough races, and I flipped a seat in Congress, [it was] held by Republican for 22 years. Nobody thought that we were going to beat him [Pete Sessions] when I ran in 2018. He’d been unopposed in the previous election and then hung onto that seat in tough reelections. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent against me in the last election and still overperformed our ticket significantly. I think I know what I bring to the table, but I also understand that everybody’s looking for how they can serve and how they fight in this time, and I appreciate that.
You mentioned gerrymandering earlier. Texas has been in the spotlight specifically because of that issue. How do you feel about the Texas Democrats’ response to that moment? Do you think their pushback was effective?
I think it was effective in that it gave time for the discussion to both be had in Texas, and I was holding a bunch of town halls talking about this, and folks were following it very closely. Much of my voting rights career, I was sometimes wondering, when are folks going to get angry about these laws? When are we going to see that breakthrough, the folks tie together the fact that they’re trying to stop you from voting so that then when they rigged the elections, that then rigged the economy against you. And I think this gave time for us to have that discussion and for folks to be like, “Hey listen, wait a second, they’re doing what?”
Gerrymandering is not something that I think many people before this election cycle could probably give you a lot of detail on, but now they could, because they’ve been following this so closely. And at all my town halls, people talk about it and they raise it on their own. So I think it helped in that regard. I think it also galvanized other states to say, “Okay well then we’re gonna have to respond to this. We’re not gonna let you rig the election now.”
As a voting rights lawyer I hate gerrymandering, period, and I think the goal has to be to ban it nationwide, and I’ve passed legislation in the House to do that. We couldn’t get it to the Senate unfortunately, but we can require every state to have non-partisan independent commissions to draw their districts so there’s no reason we shouldn’t have that. What we need to do though, of course, is just pass that legislation. But in order to do that, we can’t let them rig the elections to prevent us from doing that, if that makes sense.
So I think the end goal here has to be to respond and to fight in order to end gerrymandering, period. And regardless of party, and I do talk to a number of Republicans about this, folks don’t think it’s right that elected officials are picking their voters. I think it should be the other way around.I think this is also something that, you know, it’s good politics that we should be talking about, but this is inherently corrupt, and this is inherently about silencing voices, particularly Black and brown voices.
Putting on your legal hat as a lawyer, do you anticipate that the courts may overturn this or do you think it’s gonna be upheld eventually?
It’s tough to say. I think that a fair ruling would find this to be a racial gerrymander, which is still impermissible. Even the Supreme Court has left in place that you cannot discriminate racially in the drawing of districts, and I think this would meet that threshold in my professional opinion. Now, am I confident that the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court will act in a timely manner? That’s where I’m worried. I do worry about the timing, about whether or not this can be fully heard in time, and also whether or [not] they’ll just find a way to get out of doing what I think is a straightforward approach to this.
This is to me from the very beginning from the genesis of this with the president basically saying this is what I want, give me five seats. Then the DOJ sending a letter saying you have to use race in your redistricting and you need to redraw your districts, while at the same time the state of Texas in court was saying that they were not using race as how they drew their districts then they just reversed themselves immediately in court. And now they’re doing this. I think from the very beginning this has shown that this is a deeply cynical, deeply discriminatory effort to take away voting power from Black and brown folks here in Texas.
Every district that was targeted was a Black or brown district. And folks should know that, that we’re talking about messing with [former Representative] Barbara Jordan’s district, which they did, that we are talking about messing with historic districts, that folks died in order to get this representation. And I take it very seriously. I hope the courts do as well.
In Texas, gun rights and also the oil industry are very important issues to the state and to many people in the state. But at the national level, Democrats generally want more restrictions on guns. They’re also pushing to reduce fossil fuels. How do you balance that as a Democrat in Texas?
Just to be honest with you, I’m not running for the national party, and I never have seen myself that way. I’m a Texan first, and we have a long tradition of that here in Texas, of folks who actually, prior to this recent generation of leaders that we’ve had who I think have been complete followers, but who were seen as folks who looked out for Texas first and who understood our state, understood our culture, and wanted to respect that.
I grew up around guns here in Texas. I grew up going to camp where we had a rifle range, and I was shooting guns when I was seven years old. When I go out of the state and talk to other folks about that, I understand that’s not what they’re doing in every state, but that’s what we were doing. And I think that we can have a responsible culture of gun ownership. That’s what had for much of my life growing up. I think what we’ve gotten away from is that sense of responsibility and we’ve got into this sort of just bizarre ideology, that to me is completely alien to the Texas that I know and to the Texas gun owners who I grew up around.
When it comes to oil and gas, I mean we’re the number one energy state in the country and we always will be. But for us, I think it’s more that we’re an energy state, in every sense, we’re the number one wind energy state as well, the number two solar energy state, and for us nuclear is a big part of our mix as well. For us, we have a very diverse energy economy and one that is incredibly important for working people here. There are hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs for working folks in Texas directly tied to our energy industry, but we also can use that and use our preeminence to try and do it in the right way.
When it comes to things like capturing methane, which we focused on in the Inflation Reduction Act that I worked on, that’s important. But it’s also something that the energy companies themselves want to be doing. So we have incentives in that bill to try and say you need to be capturing this methane. It is a harmful greenhouse gas, but it’s something that if you capture it correctly, then it’ll be a benefit to you as a company. So we can balance these things, but my interest is always gonna be how can I help Texans first? And I think if you’re running in Texas, that has to be your focus.
Right now, Democrats are historically unpopular, according to a lot of polling, and many voters have just generally seen Democrats in Congress as weak and ineffective. If you get to the Senate, how specifically would you work with Democrats to deal with the Trump administration and the Republicans in DC?
I think we’ve been here before. When I ran for Congress in 2018, there were a lot of similar feelings. And a lot the folks who, like me, who ran in that election, it was the first time we’d ever run for office. And whether it’s me or Elissa Slotkin or Andy Kim or Abigail Spanberger, we were all friends. We were all part of the same class. And I think many of us didn’t see ourselves as politicians. We wanted to serve our communities. I didn’t just run anywhere. I ran in the district where I was born and raised. The hospital where I was born was in my district, the high school that I went to was in my district. So it was personal and I felt like the people who I grew up around were not being served by their member of Congress. So once we got to Washington, then we tried as much as we could to try and shake it up. I think you see many of the folks who’ve been trying and rattling the cages as much as possible have been folks who were part of that effort and who many of us, we still don’t, and I certainly don’t see myself—as politicians we see ourselves as public servants. Who are trying our best to fight for the country that we love and for the states that we love. And so part of that is being able to work with anybody if you know it’s in the interest of your community.
My proudest accomplishment in Congress was opening a VA hospital in Garland, which is a city in my district. It was a hospital that had closed down, a private hospital by Baylor Scott & White that we worked on for a year with the Trump administration to get donated to the VA. It was a $400 million facility, created 5,000 jobs, is helping us serve our veterans and also creating an economic driver for the city of Garland. That’s working with the Trump administration, but we also have to stand up for the rights that we know are so important. I think we can do both of those things, but I think it has to be from a perspective and the focus has to not just be on the party or things like that. It has to be on people that you’re trying to serve. I think when you keep that as your main focus, I think it’s better politics, but I also think it leads to better policy. That when you’re in the office, then you’re doing things for the right reason. That you’re not corruptible.
I never took a single dime of corporate PAC money in my time in Congress because I didn’t want anyone to think that I was making a decision based on some kind of donation. Never traded stocks. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was trying to profit off my position. I was there to try and serve. That’s what I want to do in the Senate as well.
Turning to a more somber note, it’s been just over a week since the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Unfortunately, political violence has become quite common in the past few years. How do you think Democrats or lawmakers in general should be responding in this moment?
I think it’s deeply personal as a dad and a husband. My first thoughts were about Charlie Kirk’s family, just how horrific it was for his wife, for his children. Nobody deserves that. And this should never happen in our politics. We have to speak, I think with a unified voice in rejecting it. I think we all have a role to play. I try to, and I try and play my role in this, in keeping our political discussions, our political debates, at a level of respect and decency, to where when that fight is over folks can understand that as John Lewis used to tell us when I started with him in Congress, that we might have come here on different ships but we’re in the same boat now and we are all Americans. This is our house. It’s the American house. We live here together, and we have to find a way to remember that. And we have to have leaders, quite honestly, who will remind us of that. We have to have leaders who will try to bring us together around some of our shared values.
We will have fights. We’ve always had fights. That’s the nature of a democracy. For 250 years, we have been having a lot of fights. From the very beginning, we were. And we will continue to. But the way we conduct ourselves in those fights is as important as the fights themselves. And I’ve always tried to conduct myself in a way, that I think the folks can see, that I have a fundamental respect not only for people I’m running against, but for the process of democracy itself. And so I refuse to accept that there’s nothing that we can do about this or that we have to give in to a period of increased violence. I reject that outright.
I think we all have a role to play, including folks who are sitting there on their phones and in your own personal lives, that as you’re having these discussions yourself, to be a part of the solution instead of part of a problem. And get out there and talk to ordinary folks, get out there and be a part of a vibrant discussion that I think we need to be having instead of being somebody who is contributing to some of the divisions.
Trump and a lot of Republicans seem to be using this moment to push for a crackdown on left-wing groups or leftist ideology. There was also the cancelation of Jimmy Kimmel’s show this week, which got a lot of attention. How should Democrats be responding to those actions from the administration and many Republicans?
I think it’s very simple. We have to stand up for the Constitution. I feel this very strongly, that this is not about the individual being targeted. It never has been. In our entire history, it’s never been about the person who’s being targeted and their speech. It’s always been about that we as a country have committed ourselves to the idea of free speech. That’s always the ground that we should defend, and regardless of who it is, or often times even what they said. Throughout our history we’ve stood up for this idea that I may disagree with everything you said, but I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it and that’s part of having a vibrant democracy. So to me as we fight this, we fight right now on the grounds that every American is infused with, that in this democracy we have freedom of speech and in this country we don’t have to worry that you cannot criticize the administration. That here in the United States, we’re the land of the free and the home of the brave. And that we should be civil in our discourse, but we’re not always going to see that. And those rights are not negotiable.
To me, I think that this is something that I feel very, very strongly about. That when you see one right being taken away, every other right is always in danger as well. And we have to fight, I think really hard, to make sure we adhere ourselves to the demands of our Constitution, which is that we do protect freedom of speech, that we have a culture and a belief in vigorous debate, and that sometimes we’re going to disagree strongly, but that we’re never going to allow ourselves to have a government coming down, cracking down on people for what they’re saying. I think that’s the grounds we have to fight on. I believe that that’s what most people think. And I believe that any overreach is not what people want.
Some folks on the right are trying to use this moment to target the transgender community, which has been an ongoing issue. Texas has passed legislation targeting that community. And since the election, there’s been this sense that some Democrats have sort of pivoted a bit on this issue, tried to moderate a bit, thinking maybe it contributed to the loss in 2024. How do you view this issue of transgender rights and the various discussions surrounding that?
I think we have to have a very clear distinction here, which is that we’re against discrimination of any kind. I’m a civil rights lawyer. I believe that we always have to ensure that folks are not discriminated against for who they are, how they identify, who they love, how they pray, that that should be and is the law of the land. And we should ensure that and stand up for those values for everyone. To me, that is, I think, very clear. And I feel like what we’ve often seen is that Republicans have used these kinds of attacks to then on the other side, you pick working people’s pockets while they’re talking about something, they’re actually on the side reaching in their pocket and taking away their health care, raising their cost-of-living, making this to be a more expensive Christmas, more expensive to have quesadillas, more to get your kid a birthday present. And so that I think we have to also make sure folks know is that we’re against discrimination. We also, let’s talk about what they’re doing with the positions that they have, which is to pick your pocket and to make sure that you can get ahead. Let’s not be distracted. Let’s keep our focus on what they are doing and what they doing to hurt you and your family.
Another big issue that’s been causing tensions within the Democratic Party is the issue of the Gaza war. What is your position on how the U.S. should be responding to that? Have you or would you accept money from AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)? Some Democrats are swearing it off.
I think what’s happening in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank is a tragedy, and we need to have this conflict end as quickly as possible for the hostages to come home. One of the most important roles is what comes next. And to me that has to be maintaining and building towards two independent states, a secure, safe, democratic, and Jewish Israeli state next to an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. That to me has always been U.S. policy, but also in some ways, because of how tragic this period has been, that presents almost a time to reassess as to whether or not this is something that we think we can do. And to me, this is still the only viable option going forward.
With regards to things like AIPAC, listen, they endorsed Ted Cruz in the last election. They’ve endorsed John Cornyn in this election. I’m not expecting—my job is to talk to Texans about what I think is in our national interest, what I can do to try and bring this conflict to an end, but also to create a lasting peace. I’ve worked on this in Congress, I was on the Foreign Affairs Committee. I’ve told Bibi Netanyahu to his face that I think he’s doing the wrong thing. I think part of supporting Israel, which I do, is supporting them in saying when they’re doing something that you think is not in their interest, or in our interest, or in the regional interest. And that’s what I think is going on right now. We have to bring this conflict to an end, and I think we have a productive role in ensuring that what comes next and the day after has to be something that’s moving us back towards a two-state solution instead of away from it.
Those were my main questions, but I always just like to ask, what is something interesting or unique about yourself that you think is not very well known and might surprise voters?
Growing up, I was kind of a computer nerd, but I could never afford to buy a computer. I just started building them from kind of like spare parts kind of. And when I was in college, I even had a computer repair business that I created while I was playing football. I didn’t make much money, but people kept asking me to fix their computers. And so I would just do it. And I was like, well, maybe I should get a little bit of money for it. And I want to teach my kids about building computers because I find it to be just relaxing, but also really interesting. And that’s probably something that most folks didn’t know about me.