AT A GLANCE
- U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred attended the Stevens vs. Holmes football game in San Antonio on Friday, Sept. 12.
- The San Antonio Observer spoke with Allred after the game about his campaign and priorities.
- Allred stressed the importance of connecting with people outside of politics in relaxed community settings.
Colin Allred Talks Chaos, Costs, and Corruption at Stevens vs. Holmes Football Game
Friday night football is sacred in Texas, and on Sept. 12, it became the backdrop for politics as well. U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred attended the Stevens vs. Holmes matchup in San Antonio, where he watched from the sidelines and spent time speaking with families, administrators, and fans.
After the game, The San Antonio Observer caught up with Allred to hear why he chose a local high school football game for a campaign stop.
“I really love being on sidelines, talking to the administrators and coaches, going into the stands and talking to families,” Allred said. “At football games people are relaxed, they’re talking about what’s really going on—it’s not political, it’s completely genuine. There’s something really pure about high school football. This is a perfect night—the weather’s perfect, the kids are having fun, the crowd is having fun. These teams are a good match, so I thought it was a good game.”
From High-Profile Race to Local Connections
Allred’s presence at the game came less than a year after his nationally watched and expensive campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. That race, while unsuccessful, gained national attention and made him one of the state’s most prominent Democratic voices.
We asked how he plans to recapture that same energy this time.
“In some ways, because we did that, I want to take it back to what I’m most comfortable with—which is being in the community as much as I can,” Allred told the Observer. “I’m not in Congress now, so I have the time to do this. If I were still in office, I’d be in D.C. for votes this week. Instead, I can be here, at a game, talking to folks. We’ve been holding town halls around the state, and people are coming. It’s a period where folks are afraid, but there’s also still hope that we can come back from this, and I want to channel that.”
Allred pointed to his upbringing by a single mother and her time as a public school teacher as motivation to focus on working families. “It’s been a hard time,” he said. “Coming out of COVID, everything is more expensive. People were promised help and they’re not getting it. It’s natural to feel cynical, but we have to break through that and go directly to folks.”
Running on Chaos, Costs, and Corruption
Last year, Allred contributed to The San Antonio Observer with an op-ed on voting. This year, when asked what his campaign priorities are, he named three: chaos, costs, and corruption.
“When I say chaos, I mean the attacks on our democracy, which I think is incredibly important and we shouldn’t lose sight of it,” Allred explained. “But for working people, costs come first—the ability to get by. Folks were promised their costs would go down, and instead they’ve gone up, all to benefit special interests.”
The third pillar, corruption, is something Allred didn’t mince words about. “It’s so out in the open—it’s wild. It looks like what you’d see in a developing country in some cases. They’re openly purchasing support. Whoever thought we’d see someone given a jet? You’re not supposed to make money in office—it’s public service.”
“We have to break through that so people can feel like they have a senator who actually sees them and thinks about them, not special interests. Maybe when you hit rock bottom, it’s a good time to push off and come back.”
