The Texas Senate debate between longtime Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Colin Allred was not without name-calling and heated arguments in the state’s first and only debate before the November election.

The most contentious issues between the two candidates were abortion, immigration and transgender.

While Cruz tried to scuttle any attempt to portray Allred as a moderate candidate by continually bringing up his election results during Tuesday night’s hour-long debate, Allred portrayed Cruz as an “extremist” who opposes abortion exemptions, as in some rape cases.

‘BOYS PLAY GIRLS’ SPORTS’ AD is putting TEXAS DEM in hot water on the eve of a crucial debate with LGBTQ activists

Abortion, immigration and transgender issues led to the biggest disputes between Representative Colin Allred and Senator Ted Cruz. (Getty Images)

“You’re not pro-life,” Allred told Cruz. “It is not life-threatening to deny women care for so long that they can no longer have children. It is not anti-life to force a rape victim to carry her rapist’s baby to term.”

Cruz said in his opening statement, “In Texas, we overwhelmingly support requiring parents to be notified and consent before their child has an abortion.”

“In Texas we overwhelmingly agree that late-term abortions in the eighth and ninth months are too extreme, and I tell you, in Texas we overwhelmingly agree that taxpayer dollars should not fund abortions,” he added added.

At one point during the abortion controversy, one of the hosts, WFAA’s Jason Whitely, repeatedly probed Cruz but did not do the same with Allred.

“Why is this an issue that you don’t address and say whether you support or oppose exceptions like rape or incest?” asked Whitely Cruz.

“Why do you keep asking me that?” Cruz shot back. “However, I asked Congressman Allred twice about his voting record and the fact that he voted to repeal Texas’ parental notification and consent law. You didn’t ask him about it.”

Cruz said during the debate that he supports leaving abortion to each state.

The Texas Democrat’s Senate ad features a border wall he once called “racist.”

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

When it came to border security, Allred claimed that Cruz voted against the White House’s bipartisan deal earlier this year, which Republicans rejected on the grounds that it didn’t actually address border security.

“In fact, he did worse than nothing when the toughest border security bill in a generation, $20 billion for border security, came up in the Senate,” Allred said. “And you know, listen, this is not a pattern for him. He’s never there for us when we need him.”

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“He voted against the border wall, not once, not twice, but three times, every time there is a serious measure in the House to secure the border,” Cruz responded. “Colin Allred is Kamala Harris. Their records are the same.”

During another part of the debate, Allred recounted his experiences during the Jan. 6 riots and said, “They are a threat to democracy.”

DEM ALLRED of Texas says he opposes “boys-on-girls sports” despite allowing them in the past and fought against parents’ rights

Representative Colin Allred speaks to voters during a roundtable discussion on August 29, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Addressing the issue of trans women competing in women’s sports and sharing facilities — issues Cruz targets in several attack ads — Allred firmly reiterated that he doesn’t support any of the “ridiculous things he’s talking about.”

To escape the hot seat, Allred shifted the topic back to abortion.

“But he wants you to think about children in toilets, so don’t think about women in hospitals, because that’s unjustifiable,” Allred said.

Cruz, the two-term Republican who has held the office for the past 12 years, repeatedly emphasized Allred’s main argument: “He didn’t say a word about his own record.”

In October 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law banning transgender student-athletes from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

Texas is one of 23 states with laws preventing transgender inclusion in women’s sports. In June 2023, Allred sponsored a bill that would require public schools to admit biological male athletes who identify as transgender on girls’ sports teams.

According to the latest Fox News Power Rankings, the Texas Senate race is a likely Republican win. The latest Real Clear Politics polling average shows Cruz with a four-point lead in the race.

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

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