Democrat Colin Allred wins Texas' 33rd Congressional District race, defeating Patrick Gillespie
Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has won the race for Texas' newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District, defeating Republican Patrick Gillespie in Tuesday's midterm election, CBS News projects.
Allred's victory marks his return to Congress after an unsuccessful 2024 U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
The newly configured 33rd Congressional District lies entirely within Dallas County following Texas' 2025 congressional redistricting. The district has a large Latino population and is considered Democratic-leaning.
Allred will succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, who did not seek reelection after his Fort Worth political base was excluded from the redrawn district.
Allred's political career and campaign priorities
A Dallas native, former NFL player and civil rights attorney, Allred previously represented Texas' neighboring 32nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2025.
After losing his Senate bid to Cruz in 2024, Allred initially entered the 2026 Senate race before shifting his campaign to the newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District.
Allred secured the Democratic nomination in the May 26 primary runoff, defeating U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson with approximately 54% of the vote.
Throughout his campaign, Allred emphasized lowering costs for working families, protecting voting rights and challenging the Trump administration.
According to his campaign website, Allred supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and transferring its responsibilities to other federal agencies. His platform also includes expanding legal immigration, reducing prescription drug and housing costs, and increasing annual Social Security benefits by $2,400.
Allred has also advocated banning congressional stock trading, limiting corporate influence in politics and expanding voter registration.
Gillespie, the Republican nominee, previously challenged Veasey for the 33rd Congressional District seat in 2022 and 2024 but lost both elections.
He secured his party's nomination in the May 26 runoff, defeating fellow Republican John Sims with approximately 57% of the vote.
Gillespie campaigned on stricter immigration enforcement, reducing federal spending, balancing the federal budget and strengthening national defense.
