Colin Allred confirms Jasmine Crockett a factor in ending Senate bid
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Former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, told CNN on Monday that Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to run for Senate was “of course” a factor in his decision to drop out of the race.
Hours before it was confirmed that Crockett had filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate, Allred announced that he was withdrawing from the Senate Democratic primary and would instead run for the House seat in Texas’ newly realigned 33rd Congressional District.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Allred if earlier reports that Crockett was interested in running for Senate were part of his decision.
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Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred ended his campaign on Monday. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
“Yes, of course it is,” Allred said. “Listen, Jasmine is a friend of mine and we served together and I’ve known her since before we were both elected. But it was about the fact that there were three strong candidates running that we were certain to go to the runoff.”
He added, “And I felt like that wasn’t in the best interest of people coming to me and telling their stories, opening up. And in many ways, to me, I’ve always thought about that and tried to exclude my ego in my approach to public service.”
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Former House Rep. Colin Allred said Democrats don’t want a crowded Senate primary. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Bash asked Allred to detail the conversation she had with Crockett before deciding to “take the wheel” in the Senate race.
“I can’t say I looked at it that way,” Allred said. “It was a professional and friendly conversation. And, you know, my takeaway from that was that I had to decide what was best for the state and the party in a time and a year when so much was at stake.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Allred and Crockett for comment.
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico confirmed Monday that his campaign will continue as he and his team “welcome” Crockett to the race.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is hinting at a Senate run following reports that her district has been redrawn by state lawmakers. (John Medina/Getty Images for MoveOn)
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Crockett had joked about a possible bid for weeks, saying he was “strongly” considering it after his district was redrawn by the Texas legislature.
