JOURDANTON, Texas — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred are making their final pitches to Texas voters in a frenzied travel spree across the state near the end of one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched Senate races.

Cruz, who is in another competitive contest after winning a second term in 2018, has leaned toward conservative pledges for tougher border measures and attacks against policies that support transgender people, including at a bus rally outside of San Antonio on Tuesday.

Allred, who would become Texas’ first black senator, spent a day touring Houston, the state’s largest city and a crucial Democratic stronghold for the underdog congressman, who needs a big showing from loyal Democrats to unseat the incumbent . At a rally at Texas Southern University, a historically black college, the three-term congressman emphasized his support for abortion rights and blamed Cruz for limiting women’s access to reproductive health care.

Statewide races in Texas have been within reach of Democrats for decades, but recent signs that the race could be tightening have led some to believe that 2024 could finally be the year. It’s an ambitious target, but one of the few takeover opportunities for Democrats in a year in which they are defending twice as many Senate seats as Republicans nationally.

A surprise victory in Texas would dramatically increase their chances of keeping their slim majority in the Senate.

Both candidates combined have raised more than $160 million in the race.

Last week, Democrats backing Allred announced a $5 million ad campaign on women’s reproductive freedom.

At one of his stops in Houston, Allred asked voters to turn the page on divisive politics and look for leaders who can get something done.

“I don’t spend my time dropping bombs,” he said. “I work hard, not because bipartisanship is the end goal, because that’s how you do things.”

About 250 miles (402 kilometers) west, at a rally in the rural South Texas town of Jourdanton, Cruz presented himself as the reasonable candidate.

“This is no longer a battle between Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “It’s a battle between the sane and the insane.”

Dust swirled in and around a warehouse in Jourdanton on a warm October afternoon as Cruz supporters donned “Make America Great Again” hats and waved signs with Cruz’s “Keep Texas, Texas” slogan. Cruz sat in the bed of a pickup truck and gave a nearly 40-minute speech, presenting the race as a battle between tradition and change.

The Senate race has drawn most of the attention and money in Texas as Allred, a three-term congressman from Dallas, seeks to unseat Cruz and do what no Democrat has done in 30 years. years: to win statewide elections in the nation’s second most populous state. state. Cruz tried to tie Allred to Vice President Kamala Harris on immigration, LGBTQ+ issues and the economy.

In a state with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, Cruz has largely avoided the topic.

Cruz defeated Beto O’Rourke in 2018 in his last re-election campaign, and Democrats see the Senate race as an opportunity to take advantage of Texas’ changing demographics and a relatively unpopular incumbent.

Sarah Brietzke, a retired teacher from nearby La Vernia, said she doesn’t expect Cruz to lose. “I would be surprised,” she said.

“I don’t have anything against the guy,” Scott Smith said of Allred. However, Smith said he believes Cruz has stronger economic and immigration policies.

Allred has tried to win over moderate voters by running a low-profile campaign focused on reproductive care, a winning issue for Democrats where the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to strip federal abortion protections remains unpopular with most Americans.

Tuesday night in Houston, Allred repeatedly attacked Cruz for his 2021 trip to Mexico during a deadly winter storm that left millions without power. The stop through Texas’ largest city came just days after Allred joined Harris and Beyoncé at a rally Friday night, the vice president’s first and only stop in Texas. For most of his run, the former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney kept Harris at arm’s length, saying he was focused on his own campaign.

He spoke to a half-filled auditorium of about 300 people, where he has worked to shore up black voters, a historically strong voting bloc for Democrats. Allred did not emphasize large rallies in his campaign, which frustrated some Democrats early in his run, though he has increased his travel further.

“Everything is bigger in Texas except our senator. It’s too small for our state. His vision for us is too small,” Allred said.

Allred was joined at Tuesday’s rally by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who told the crowd that Allred will continue to fight for student debt relief and women’s reproductive rights. Allred said he will be a senator for all Texans and will continue efforts to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans.

Kamerin Joseph, 27, said she is voting for Allred because of the congressman’s support for women’s reproductive rights.

“It’s a really big one for me,” he said. “I mean, you hear about those stories about women having to watch their babies die and women having to go through complications.”

Joseph, who works for Protest, Organize, Participate, a Houston-based nonprofit that engages youth in politics, said that after knocking on doors and talking to people, he believes many are aware of the Senate race and of the potential for change.

“I really feel like we’re going to go Texas blue this year. I really feel that,” Joseph said. “I feel like your average Texan wants Colin Allred. You know, I’m ready for Cruz to go.

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Lozano reported from Houston.