Dallas Stays Blue On Election Night, Senate Stays Red
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - It was not the statewide "blue wave" Texas democrats hoped for, but the gap narrowed in some of the biggest statewide races.
In other cases, it flipped.
"You believed in us when all the pundits didn't," said Colin Allred, to loud cheers from his supporters at the Magnolia Hotel.
A 35-year-old attorney, and former NFL player from Dallas, Allred's victory over Pete Sessions defied what national polls predicted.
"It's a message to everyone in Congress, in the halls of the White House, that we are ready for real leadership, we are ready for fresh ideas, we are ready for real change," Allred said.
The democratic newcomer won against an 11-term republican incumbent.
Pete Sessions has represented the 32nd District of Texas (part of Dallas and Collin Counties) for 22 years.
The demographics in this district are changing, though; the veteran congressional representative watched his conservative base become outnumbered last night.
"As I walk out with my head held high, I will walk out with the knowledge that what we accomplished was meaningful," Sessions told his supporters.
Dallas went blue on election night, but the Senate says red.
"We are standing united. We have been delivering results and now we have to go back to work and keep delivering results," Ted Cruz told his crowd in Houston.
Senator Cruz won a competitive race against Beto O'Rourke.
The El Paso congressman campaigned hard, crisscrossing the state and drawing large, passionate crowds and raised a record amount of money.
"I'm as inspired, I'm as hopeful as I've ever been in my life, and tonight's loss does nothing to diminish the way that I feel about Texas or this country," said O'Rourke to a stadium of supporters in his home district.
Cruz has a deep conservative base in Texas, though, and voters sided with him on issues like tax cuts, and border security.
TCU political science professor Dr. Vanessa Bouche says this won't be the end of O'Rourke's political career.
"There's a possibility he could run against Cornyn in 2020 and there's also a possibility that he might put in a presidential bid for the Democratic Party," Bouche said.
