Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred traded witty one-liners and sparred over policy on Tuesday in their first and only debate in a race debate in the Texas Senate that both candidates agree is up for debate.

Cruz presented himself as a conservative who will “fight to keep Texas,” while Allred called Cruz a do-nothing extremist who has failed to advocate for the state in his 12 years in the Senate.

“When the lights went out in the energy capital of the world, he went to Cancún. When a mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, he hid a supply closet. And when the toughest border security bill in a generation came up in the U.S. Senate, he took it back,” Allred said, repeatedly mentioning Cruz’s trip to Mexico during a winter storm in Texas in 2021. “We don’t need a senator like that.”

Cruz seemed amused by Allred’s rant.

“Congressman Allred memorized his lines well,” he said, grinning, and saying there was “a difference between words and actions.” Cruz said Allred’s “words sound good” but don’t match his voting record.

While Cruz has the advantage in Texas, a Republican stronghold, polls show the race is close: Cruz leads by 4 points in a University of Houston poll and by 5 points in a recent Marist College poll.

Democrats control 51 seats in the Senate. They are all but certain to lose in deep-red West Virginia and are trailing in Montana in recent polls. If these two seats go to the Republican Party, there is a good chance that Democrats will retain control of the chamber. Some Democrats see a tempting opportunity for a surprise victory in Texas because of Cruz’s polarizing image.

Cruz has sounded the alarm about the race and warns that his victory is not assured and that he needs more resources to secure it.

Cruz went on the offensive on energy, blaming Democrats for inflation. He became particularly animated when he attacked Allred on the issue of transgender athletes, saying Allred had supported measures that could lead to boys participating in girls’ sports.

“Congressman Allred was an NFL linebacker. “It’s not fair for a man to compete against women,” Cruz said.

“I don’t support boys playing girls’ sports,” Allred responded, calling it “ridiculous” that Cruz portrays himself as a “protector of women and girls” when he “thinks it’s perfectly reasonable for a girl to be raped by you.” “Her relative, a victim of incest, demanded that she be forced to carry and give birth to the child.”

Allred used his opening statement to call himself “the most bipartisan Texan in Congress” and said he was “the exact opposite of Senator Cruz, the most extreme senator” who he said was “only focused on himself.”

Allred said Cruz was trying to “transform” his image from a radical to a sensible pro-choice senator while trying to push his benefits on health care and abortion. He promised to support legislation that would uphold Roe v. Wade would be restored.

Cruz, who is staunchly anti-abortion, did not directly say whether he supports exceptions for rape and incest, while he tried to tone down his rhetoric on the issue, saying Texas’ abortion law should be “a decision made by the United States.” “. state legislation.” He said Democrats’ support for a comprehensive abortion rights measure without restrictions was the real extremist position in the debate.

When asked whether he would support pardoning the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Cruz dodged, saying he was in favor of prosecuting criminals, also citing “the Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots that have burned cities across the country.”

Allred looked directly at Cruz as he criticized his objections to certifying the 2020 election and said, “You are a threat to democracy.”