Ted Cruz wins Texas Senate election, defeating challenger Colin Allred, NBC News projects

Senator Ted Cruz has NBC News predicts he won re-election to the Senate by defeating his Democratic opponent Colin Allred in a closely contested election, ending Democrats' hopes of winning a statewide race in Texas for the first time since 1994.

Cruz's victory was anything but certain. Allred mounted a fierce challenge to the senator, portraying himself as a moderate to win over Republicans and independents put off by Cruz's MAGA leanings. He also criticized Cruz for his infamous vacation in Cancun in 2021 during a deadly winter storm, as well as his vote earlier this year against a bipartisan border security bill at the behest of Donald Trump.

Allred's campaign had gained considerable momentum. Polls consistently showed a razor-thin gap between the two candidates in the final months of the campaign, with Cruz leading by just a few points. In early October, the Cook Political Report changed the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.” Allred also resented Cruz throughout the year, and national Democrats invested millions in a TV advertising campaign on Allred's behalf.

Cruz, on the other hand, despite his previous successes, tried to position himself as a non-partisan legislator. He argued that his Democratic opponent was a radical and tried to link Allred to Biden-Harris' border policies.

Despite Cruz's victory, it should be a cause for concern among Republicans that Allred was able to make the contest so close. Cruz also only survived his race against Beto O'Rourke in 2018 by just 2.6 percentage points. Although Texas is far from a swing state, Democrats hope to break the Republican stranglehold in one election after another and eventually turn the Lone Star State into a reliable purple battleground.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.