Cruz, Allred trade barbs in heated Texas Senate debate: 'Extreme,' 'threat to democracy'

The Texas Senate debate betwixt longtime Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred was not without its stock of name-calling and fiery exchanges successful the state's archetypal and lone statement earlier the November election.

Abortion, migration and transgender issues brought retired the astir contention betwixt the 2 candidates.

While Cruz sought to destruct immoderate effort of Allred being portrayed arsenic a mean campaigner by continually bringing up his voting grounds passim the hour-long statement connected Tuesday night, Allred painted Cruz arsenic an "extremist" who opposes exceptions to abortions, similar successful instances of rape.

‘BOYS PLAYING GIRLS’ SPORTS’ AD LANDS TEXAS DEM IN HOT WATER WITH LGBTQ ACTIVISTS ON EVE OF PIVOTAL DEBATE

Abortion, immigration, and transgender issues brought retired the astir contention betwixt Rep. Colin Allred and Sen. Ted Cruz. (Getty Images)

"You're not pro-life," Allred said to Cruz. "It's not pro-life to contradict women attraction truthful agelong that they can't person children anymore. It's not pro-life to unit a unfortunate of rape to transportation their rapist's baby."

Cruz, during his opening statement, said, "In Texas, we overwhelmingly enactment that parents should beryllium notified and person to consent earlier their kid gets an abortion." 

"In Texas, we overwhelmingly hold that late-term abortions successful the eighth and ninth months, that's excessively extreme, and I'll archer you, successful Texas, we overwhelmingly hold that payer wealth shouldn't wage for abortions," helium added.

At 1 constituent during the squabble implicit abortion, 1 of the hosts, WFAA's Jason Whitely, repeatedly probed Cruz but did not bash the aforesaid to Allred.

"Why is this an contented you won't address, astir saying whether you enactment oregon reason exceptions similar rape oregon incest?" Whitely asked Cruz.

"Why bash you support asking maine that?" Cruz changeable back. "But yet I've asked Congressman Allred doubly astir his voting grounds and the information that helium voted to onslaught down Texas' parental notification instrumentality and parental consent law. You haven't asked him astir that."

Cruz said during the statement helium supports termination being near up to each state.

TEXAS DEM'S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS 'RACIST'

Sen. Ted Cruz, the two-term Republican who has held the spot for the past 12 years. (Fox News Digital)

When it came to border security, Allred contended that Cruz voted against the bipartisan White House woody – which Republicans tanked, arguing it didn't really code borderline information – earlier this year. 

"In fact, helium does worse than thing erstwhile the toughest borderline information measure successful a procreation came up successful the United States Senate, $20 cardinal for borderline security," Allred said. "And you know, listen, this is not this is simply a signifier for him. He's ne'er determination for america erstwhile we request him."

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"He's voted against the borderline wall, not once, not twice, but 3 times, each azygous clip there's a superior measurement successful the House to unafraid the border," Cruz responded. "Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. Their records are the same."

During different portion of the debate, Allred recounted his acquisition during the Jan. 6 riot, and said, "You're a menace to democracy."

TEXAS DEM ALLRED SAYS HE OPPOSES 'BOYS IN GIRLS' SPORTS' DESPITE PAST OF ALLOWING IT, FIGHTING PARENTAL RIGHTS

Rep. Colin Allred speaks to constituents during a roundtable treatment connected Aug. 29, 2024, successful Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Regarding the contented of trans women competing successful women's sports and sharing facilities – topics Cruz has targeted successful respective onslaught ads – Allred firmly reiterated that helium does not enactment immoderate of the "ridiculous things he's talking about."

To flight the blistery seat, Allred redirected the contented backmost to abortion.

"But what helium wants you reasoning astir is kids successful bathrooms, truthful you're not reasoning astir women successful hospitals, due to the fact that it's indefensible," Allred said. 

Cruz, the two-term Republican who has held the spot for the past 12 years, kept pinning his main constituent connected Allred astatine each turn: "He said not a connection astir his ain record."

In October 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a instrumentality restricting transgender pupil athletes from playing connected sports teams that align with their sex identity.

Texas is 1 of 23 states with laws successful spot to forestall transgender inclusion successful women's sports. In June 2023, Allred co-sponsored a measure that would necessitate nationalist schools to licence biologic antheral pupil athletes who place arsenic transgender connected girls' sports teams.

The Texas Senate contention is simply a apt GOP win, according to the latest Fox News Power Rankings. The astir caller Real Clear Politics polling mean shows Cruz with a four-point pb successful the race.

Fox News Digital's Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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