Colin Allred talks faith, Ted Cruz, and the Jan. 6 insurrection

Walking a tight line as a moderate in a neck-and-neck Senate race against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) has focused his attention on convincing dissatisfied Republicans to cross the party aisle and experiment just one time.

In that bipartisan spirit, Allred's most recent interview with Greg Garrett of Baptist News Global revolves around the conservative cultural cornerstones of football, Christianity, and family values while painting Cruz, who has long courted the far end of the base, as a right-wing extremist. The Q&A-style interview is among Allred's most comprehensive so far, and also delves further into the former NFL linebacker's experience as a congressman during the infamous Jan. 6 insurrection.

Allred has spoken before about texting his wife during the harrowing event, trying to assure her that he would be okay. He said he later learned that Vice President Mike Pence had sent a similar text to his loved ones. 

"When you’re a former professional football player in a situation like that, people will unsurprisingly look to you for protection," the congressman told Baptist News. "So I took my suit jacket off and got ready to take on whatever came through that door."

"That day, we came closer to losing our democracy than a lot of people realize, and Ted Cruz is responsible for that," Allred continued. "He spread the lie that the election was stolen and was the senator who objected to the certification of the results in an attempt to overturn the will of the American people. But when the mob stormed the Capitol, he hid in a supply closet."

Allred has heavily leaned on his biography, particularly his bygone football days, to appeal to centrist voters, although he still faces a notoriety problem against the more established incumbent senator. While Cruz has sought to tie Allred to the Democratic party's more left-wing policies, Allred has increasingly needled Cruz for high-profile missteps like hiding in a supply closet or flying to Cancún during the Texas freeze.

Allred has also benefited from the support of Houston's historically Black churches, distinguishing his Christian faith and the rise of Christian nationalist extremism in Texas and other parts of the United States.

"My Christian values inspire me to fight for a future where seniors can afford their medications, women can make their own health care decisions alongside their families, faith and doctors, and our border is not only secure but reflective of our values as Texans," Allred said, per Baptist News. "Ted Cruz and the Christian nationalist movement fight for a future that simply does not include or care about many Texans."