“I was born and raised in Dallas by a single mom who was a Dallas public school teacher. Thanks to my family, coaches, teachers and the good folks at the YMCA, I was able to succeed. With support from my community, I went to Baylor, played in the NFL and became a civil rights lawyer, served in the Obama Administration and now I represent my home in Congress.” (ballotpedia.org)

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“To get real results for North Texans, I've put aside party politics, which is why 70 percent of the bills I've co-sponsored are bipartisan. We've made progress in the last couple years by bringing folks together. But we still have so much work to do to make sure everyone can achieve their version of the American dream.” (allred.house.gov)

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EXPERIENCE

Allred began his career as a professional football player upon his graduation from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. After his playing days with the Tennessee Titans, he graduated from the University of California School of Law at Berkeley. He served in the Obama administration as a Special Assistant at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. After his tenure there, Allred practiced law as a voting rights litigator. Politico describes him as a “civil rights attorney.”

 

ON THE ISSUES

• “Colin grew up in Texas, and has always respected guns and common-sense gun ownership as protected in the 2nd Amendment. As a father, Colin cannot accept that his child may not be safe at school. “We must reject the idea that random, regular church and school shootings are a part of American life and that our elected officials are powerless to stop them. We can and must do more.” In Congress, Colin has stood up for common-sense approaches to reducing gun violence while protecting the rights of responsible gun owners. (ColinAllredfor Congress.org)

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• “After 20 years of inaction by Congress, Colin voted to pass a measure to finally get funding to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study gun violence as it relates to public health. A vital step in gathering important research about the gun violence epidemic that too often impacts our communities.” (ColinAllredforCongress.org)

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• Voted for Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act (justthefacts.votesmart.org)

 

• With an impeachment vote looming in the House, Dallas Rep. Colin Allred on Thursday made a rare trip to the White House – for a Democrat, at least – to participate in a roundtable discussion about expanding childcare and paid family leave. The freshman lawmaker and first-time dad used the occasion to promote bipartisan legislation he’s cosponsoring to provide new parents more flexibility in using a child tax credit. (Dallas Morning News, 12/12/19) Allred also made history by becoming the first male member of Congress to take parental leave.

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• Helped lead the charge to pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and introduced the Know Your Polling Place Act, which would require voters to be notified of changes in their polling places. (ballotpedia.org)

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• Champion of legislation reinstating and modernizing the Voting Rights Act, to halt new voter suppression laws. (ballotpedia.org)

 

• Rated 100% by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America (votesmart.org)

 

• Zero rating from the NRA (justthefacts.votesmart.org)

 

• Endorsed by The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

 

POLITICS IN TEXAS

Allred’s District (TX-32) is in North Central Texas and includes part of Dallas. Texas 32 is one of the few blue islands in the red state of Texas. First elected in 2018, Allred was re-elected with only 51.9 percent of the vote in 2020. Despite persistent predictions that Texas is becoming a swing state, election results consistently prove otherwise. Texas gained two additional seats in the 2020 Census, and an overwhelming number of Republicans in the State Legislature promises both unfriendly redistricting and more draconian voter suppression measures for the next election. Further, because Dallas is a major media market, the race will be expensive and will require massive fundraising.