Colin Allred and Ted Cruz are reaching the end of the Senate race that is once again testing the GOP's dominance in Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Republicans Sen. Ted Cruzof Texas, tried to fend off an outsider in Democratic Rep. Colin Allred on Tuesday in one of the most expensive races of the year that will test shifts in America's biggest red state and play a role in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate .

Allred, a three-term congressman from Dallas, put up a tough fight against Cruz, who after just three years has urged Republicans to take the race seriously He narrowly won his last re-election in 2018. No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest such political losing streak in the United States

But changing demographics in Texas — fueled by a booming Hispanic population — and shrinking chances of victory for GOP candidates have reinforced Democrats' belief that victories are within reach. These hopes led Democrats to view Texas as such one of their few pickup options in a year in which they defended twice as many Senate seats as Republicans nationwide.

Both candidates raised more than $160 million combined in the race.

Allred, who would become Texas' first black senator, pushed his surprise bid by presenting himself as a moderate candidate while mostly maintaining a political distance from him Vice President Kamala Harris. But that hasn't stopped Cruz from describing his opponent as politically like-minded with Harris, whose presidential campaign has made no aggressive attempt to turn around Texas.

Allred, 41, is a former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney who has made abortion rights one of his top issues in a state that has one of the best in the country strictest prohibitions. He fought with Texas women who were hospitalized with severe pregnancy complications after the Texas ban went into effect and has vowed to help restore the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

Cruz, seeking a third six-year term, has largely avoided the issue on the campaign trail while hammering Allred on the issues of immigration and policies supporting transgender rights. He has called out Allred for cutting ties with Texas, where Democrats control the state's major cities but are locked out of power statewide and in the Texas Capitol, where the GOP has the dominant majority.

Allred hopes to capitalize on Texas' changing demographics, which include a booming Hispanic population as well as an increase in the number of black residents and people relocating from other states. He also has experience defeating a high-profile Republican incumbent, having entered Congress with a victory over Rep. Pete Sessions, who later ran successfully in another district.

Late in the race, Allred tried to capitalize on some of the Democrats' enthusiasm for Harris at the top of the ticket, including by appearing at a crowded rally in Houston with the vice president and superstar Beyoncé. Cruz spent the final week of the race rallying supporters in rural and suburban counties with strong Republican majorities that posed key barriers to Democratic victories in Texas.