Colin Allred punts on whether he thinks Biden should continue reelection bid

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred broke his silence Thursday on President Joe Biden’s unsteady debate performance but declined to say whether he thinks Biden should continue to seek reelection amid calls from some Democrats for the president to nix his campaign.

Allred, a Dallas Democrat who is challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for his seat, has faced mounting pressure to address Biden’s halting performance during last month’s presidential debate, which fed doubts about the president’s acuity and fitness for office. A growing number of Democrats in Congress have called for Biden to exit the race, citing concerns about his ability to compete with Republican Donald Trump, though many have continued to stand behind Biden.

In a statement, Allred said he was “disappointed with what I saw in the debate” but otherwise punted on weighing in.

“I know that many conversations about next steps are happening and I have not been a part of those conversations,” Allred said. “I remain laser-focused on listening to Texans about what matters most to them and defeating Ted Cruz. We already have one political pundit in this race who spends hours and hours podcasting about this instead of serving Texans.”

Allred had otherwise stayed silent in the two weeks since Biden’s debate performance. He declined to comment as he was leaving the U.S. House chamber the day after the debate, saying he was still “processing” what happened. Allred told The Dallas Morning News Thursday it’s “up to [Biden] to prove” whether he’s fit to serve another term.

Cruz’s campaign has slammed Allred for not staking out a position on Biden and labeled him “Can’t Comment Colin” on social media.

Allred has generally tried to keep Biden at arm’s length in his Senate bid, especially on immigration matters as polls show Texas voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the president’s approach to the southern border. Recent statewide polling has shown an erratic range of results in the Allred-Cruz race, though some surveys have shown Allred within striking distance and running a few points ahead of Biden.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, last week called on Biden to step down as his party’s nominee. He is the only Democrat from Texas’ congressional delegation who has urged the president to withdraw.

Three other Texas Democrats have yet to say explicitly whether they still back Biden as the party’s nominee: Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth. The remaining members have issued public comments supporting Biden.

---

Big news: director and screenwriter Richard Linklater; NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher; U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California; and Luci Baines Johnson will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!