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Former Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, told CNN on Monday that Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s decision to run for Senate was “of course” a factor in his decision to drop out of the race.
Hours before Crockett was confirmed to have filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate, Allred announced that he would be dropping out of the Senate Democratic primary and instead run for a House seat in Texas’ newly-redrawn 33rd Congressional District.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Allred whether earlier reports of Crockett’s interest in running for Senate were part of his decision.
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Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred ended his campaign on Monday. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
“Yeah, of course it is,” Allred said. “Listen, Jasmine’s a friend of mine, and we’ve served together, and I’ve known her since before we were both in elected office. But it was about the fact with three strong candidates running that we would certainly have a runoff.”
He added, “And I felt that that was not in the interest of folks who have come up to me to tell me their stories, who would open themselves up. And in many ways, to me, I’ve always thought about this and try to take my ego out of how I approach public service.”
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Ex-House Rep. Colin Allred said that he did not want a crowded Senate Democratic primary. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Bash asked Allred to elaborate on the conversation he had with Crockett before deciding to “let her take the wheel” in the Senate race.
“I wouldn’t say I view it that way,” Allred said. “It was a professional, friendly conversation. And you know, what I took from that was that I needed to try and decide what I thought would be best for the state, for the party, in a time and in a year where there is so much at stake.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Allred and Crockett for comment.
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico confirmed in a statement Monday that his campaign will continue, saying he and his team “welcome” Crockett to the race.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has been hinting at her Senate bid after reports showed her district was being redrawn by state legislators. (John Medina/Getty Images for MoveOn)
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Crockett had teased a possible bid for weeks, saying she was “strongly” considering it after her district was redrawn by the Texas legislature.
