Colin Allred Abandons Senate Race at the Last Minute

Colin Allred has ended his campaign for the 2026 Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and will instead run for the newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District.

Allred, the Democratic Party’s 2024 Senate nominee, posted on X a statement where he declared stepping aside to avoid a prolonged primary fight with state Rep. James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is expected to enter the race. 

“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,” he wrote, adding that he made “the difficult decision to end my campaign for the U.S. Senate.”

The move came on Texas’ final filing day for the 2026 primaries. 

As The Texas Tribune reports, Allred will face one of three GOP contenders: Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Allred’s pivot positions him in a district that now overlaps significantly with his former congressional base. The 33rd District, reshaped under a GOP-backed map allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court last week, includes roughly a third of his old constituents. The district is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, who plans to run elsewhere under the new boundaries.

“The 33rd district was racially gerrymandered by Trump… but it’s also the community where I grew up,” he noted, pointing to federal resources he helped secure for veterans services, transportation, health care and housing.

Allred will face Rep. Julie Johnson, his successor in Congress, in what could become a competitive primary. 

Johnson, the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Texas, has already drawn backing from Equality PAC, which cautioned that “the last thing a Democrat should do is try to unseat” her.

Former state Rep. Domingo Garcia may also enter the race, according to The Texas Tribune.

Allred’s withdrawal from the Senate contest increases the likelihood that Democrats will settle on a nominee in March rather than in a May runoff.