Colin Allred, an NFL player turned lawmaker, is seeking to replace Texas Sen. Ted Cruz

Rusty Shackleford, 31, of East Texas, said Allred was “leading Texas away from extremism and putting it on the foundation of a purple state.”

Carolyn Bush, 73, of Everman, like many of Allred's supporters, has embraced the congressman's concerns about sending Cruz to Cancun and away from state office. “Ted Cruz doesn’t support the real people of Texas. It’s time for him to move on and I’m here to make sure he does just that,” she said.

The event at the bar attracted a diverse audience. There were groups of black friends, Asian American supporters, a Latina mother with her children in tow, white women in colorful hats — all sharing optimism about the upcoming election. And while Allred hasn't made his biracial identity a central part of his campaign, the importance of his race and his diverse base has not been lost on him.

“My story is about growing up as a black kid in Texas coming home to a white family every night,” Allred said later at the phone banking event in Dallas. “It gave me some insight and empathy to understand some of the differences you see in our society, but also the similarities. What I have always tried to do is to reduce the gap between us, not just on the basis of race, but on all the factors that can divide one in daily life.”

At the phone banking event, Allred posed for photos with six-year-old Jerrin Norris, a little black boy whose mother calls “Allred Stan.” Norris' mother, Passion Jackson, 43, has included Norris in her civic involvement since he was a child, taking him to volunteer at election campaigns and political events.

Despite being too young to vote, Norris made his opinion clear.

“The reason I like him,” Norris said, “is because he is the best and wants to help our state and keep us safe!”