Colin Allred Wins Texas Democratic Runoff For Newly Redrawn Dallas House Seat
Colin Allred won the Democratic runoff for Texas' newly redrawn 33rd Congressional District in Dallas County on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, setting up a November general election.[1]
The Associated Press called the race for Allred as he defeated Rep. Julie Johnson in the Dallas-based seat that Republican mapmakers made more heavily Democratic.[2]
In the March 3, 2026 primary, Allred finished first with nearly 44 percent to Johnson's just over 33 percent, forcing the May 26 runoff.[1] Allred had vacated the House seat to challenge Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024 and briefly launched a 2026 Senate campaign before suspending that bid and reentering the House race in late 2025.[2] Rep. Marc Veasey chose not to seek reelection in the reconfigured district, prompting Johnson to run after Republicans effectively drew her out of her prior seat.[2]
The race drew stark factional lines: Rep. Jasmine Crockett endorsed and campaigned with Allred, while Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and House Democratic leaders backed Johnson.[2] An intraparty dispute flared when Allred accused Talarico of privately calling him a 'mediocre Black man', a charge Talarico denied.[2] Runoff attacks also featured Allred criticizing Johnson's past stock trades and Johnson assailing Allred's immigration and ICE voting record, and Allred will face a Republican nominee in November.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, CBS News projected that former Rep. Colin Allred won the Democratic runoff for Texas's 33rd Congressional District in Dallas County, defeating Rep. Julie Johnson (Colin Allred).
- Fox News reported that the Associated Press called the Democratic primary runoff for Allred in the newly redrawn Dallas-based U.S. House district that Republican mapmakers made more heavily Democratic (Fox News).
- The reconfigured seat was opened when incumbent Rep. Marc Veasey chose not to seek reelection, prompting Rep. Julie Johnson to run after Republicans effectively drew her out of her prior district (Marc Veasey).
- Allred had previously vacated the House seat to run against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, briefly launched a 2026 Senate campaign, and reentered the House race in late 2025 after suspending that Senate bid (Colin Allred).
- Allred likely benefited from higher name recognition and a significant fundraising advantage; he led the March 3, 2026 primary by about 11 points but finished just under 50% (nearly 44% to Johnson's just over 33%), forcing the May 26 runoff (March 3, 2026 primary).
- The runoff reflected intraparty factional endorsements: Rep. Jasmine Crockett endorsed and campaigned with Allred in April 2026, while Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and House Democratic leadership backed Johnson (Jasmine Crockett).
- An intra-party dispute arose when Allred accused James Talarico of privately calling him a 'mediocre Black man' on a call with a party activist; Talarico denied that characterization and said he was criticizing Allred's campaign style, not his race (James Talarico).
- The runoff campaign featured attacks on both sides — Allred criticized Johnson's past stock trades and Johnson attacked Allred's immigration and ICE voting record — and Allred is set to face the Republican nominee in November (Julie Johnson).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS News projects on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, that former Rep. Colin Allred won the Democratic runoff for Texas's 33rd Congressional District in Dallas County, defeating Rep. Julie Johnson.
- In the March 3, 2026 primary, Allred finished first with nearly 44% of the vote and Johnson second with more than 33%, forcing the May 26 runoff because neither exceeded 50%.
- The article notes specific runoff campaign attacks, including Allred criticizing Johnson's past stock trades and Johnson attacking Allred's immigration and ICE voting record, and says Allred will face the Republican nominee in November.
- On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the Associated Press called the Democratic primary runoff for former Rep. Colin Allred over Rep. Julie Johnson in a newly redrawn Dallas-based U.S. House district that Republicans made more heavily Democratic.
- Rep. Marc Veasey, the incumbent in the reconfigured district, chose not to seek reelection, opening the seat and prompting Johnson to run after Republicans effectively drew her out of her prior district.
- Allred previously vacated the seat to run unsuccessfully against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, briefly launched a 2026 Senate campaign, then reentered the House race in late 2025 after suspending his Senate bid.
- The article details factional endorsements: Rep. Jasmine Crockett endorsed Allred in April 2026 and campaigned with him, while Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico and House Democratic leadership backed Johnson.
- The piece recounts an intra-party dispute in which Allred accused Talarico of privately calling him a "mediocre Black man" during a phone call with a party activist, a characterization Talarico denied, saying he was criticizing Allred's campaign style, not his race.
- Fox News notes Allred likely benefited from higher name recognition from prior statewide runs and a significant fundraising advantage and that he led the March 3 primary by 11 points but forced a runoff by failing to exceed 50 percent.