Former Rep. Colin Allred defeated Rep. Julie Johnson in a runoff that pitted two of the Democratic Party’s rising stars against each other in Texas’ newly redrawn 33rd District.

Allred’s victory Tuesday means he’s all but certain to win the general election in the deep-blue Dallas-area district.

Both candidates boasted substantial bios: Johnson became the first openly LGBTQ+ representative elected in a southern state last year, and Allred is an ex-NFL player, a three-term representative and a two-time U.S. Senate candidate.

When the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature passed a new congressional gerrymander last year, Allred decided to drop his Senate bid and take another shot at the House, setting up a race against a sitting member who had replaced him in Congress. The two have represented about one third of the newly drawn district.

The race turned intoa proxy fight of March’s Senate primary: Democratic nominee and state Rep. James Talarico endorsed Johnson, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett endorsed Allred and rallied with him last week.

Allred ran for Senate in 2024 instead of running for reelection for the House, eventually losing to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). He ran for Senate again in 2026 before dropping out and running for the 33rd District.

He attempted to make the race a referendum on corruption in politics, attacking Johnson’s stock trading and donations from corporate PACs. Allred also benefitted from a significant name ID advantage, winning the March primary by double digits and earning the endorsements of the two other primary candidates who failed to make the runoff.

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