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Former Rep. Colin Allred defeated his successor in Congress, Rep. Julie Johnson, in the Democratic runoff to represent Texas’ Dallas-centered congressional district, according to the Associated Press.
The Democrats were forced into an unusual race between predecessor and successor after Republicans redrew Texas’ district map to boost GOP chances to maintain congressional control.
The 32nd District, which Johnson currently represents and Allred previously represented, is now solidly Republican, pushing Johnson into the left-leaning 33rd District that Kamala Harris would have won by more than 30 points — had its boundaries existed in 2024.
District 33 contains about a third of the residents from the candidates’ former congressional district and is currently represented by Rep. Marc Veasey, who decided not to seek reelection.
Allred, a civil rights lawyer and former professional football player, first served in Congress from 2019 to 2025 after unseating 11-term Republican Pete Sessions. He left his seat to run for Senate against Ted Cruz and lost decisively in the 2024 midterms.
In July 2025, Allred launched another bid for Senate, but dropped out and pivoted to a congressional run after the September entry of state Rep. James Talarico and an unexpected bid from Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He said his change, which came on the last day for candidates to file, was to avoid a Democratic runoff and maximize their chances of winning in November.
He finished ahead of Johnson in the March 3 primary by about 11 points. The nearly three months leading up to the runoff grew prickly between the two candidates, who each found campaign fodder in the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
Allred blasted Johnson’s previous investments in Palantir, a technology company that has worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Johnson criticized Allred’s congressional voting record, which included support for immigration-related bills where he broke from his party, including one denouncing the Biden administration’s handling of the border.
Allred has called to abolish ICE amid the Trump administration’s mass deportations and immigration crackdown, shifting its responsibilities to other federal agencies like the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and Customs and Border Protection.
He was also the only Democrat in Texas who was supported by an AI super PAC. Jobs and Democracy PAC, which focuses on AI regulation, spent almost $400,000 on his behalf. One of Allred’s priorities is export controls on computer chips and semiconductor technology to increase AI innovation.
The candidates split support from big-name Democrats. Rep. Jasmine Crockett endorsed Allred at the end of April, while Johnson was backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Allred will face Patrick Gillespie, who defeated John Sims in the Republican runoff, in November in the left-leaning district.
