Democratic Rep. Colin Allred is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in next year’s race. Municipal elections are held this weekend. Former President George W. Bush surprised a group of local veterans this week. And it’s likely that retired teachers in Texas will finally get cost-of-living adjustments for the first time in years.
Political reporter Jack Fink breaks down these stories and more in this week’s episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: May 4).
Each week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and stream new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 7:00 PM on CBS News Texas.
Allred challenging Cruz
In a campaign video posted on YouTube Wednesday morning, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Richardson announced he is running for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.
In the video, Allred slammed Cruz for his comments before the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol and for going to Cancun with his family during a severe winter storm that caused widespread deadly outages in Texas in Feb. 2021
Allred is currently serving his third term representing the 32nd Congressional District.
Some local Democratic party activists tell CBS News Texas that they believe Allred is their best candidate to defeat Cruz. But he may soon have company.
The San Antonio Express-News reported last month that Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents San Antonio and Uvalde, will likely join the race after the regular legislative session ends later this month.
For a breakdown of Allred’s chances to unseat Cruz, watch the video below.
Cost of Living Adjustment on the Road for Retired Teachers
This week, the Texas House unanimously passed a bill that would give more than 400,000 retired teachers, administrators and support staff in school districts and community colleges across Texas an increase in their monthly pensions.
The Texas Senate passed its own version unanimously in late March.
It would be the first increase since 2004. Now lawmakers in both chambers will have to resolve their differences on the bills.
Jack spoke to a retired teacher who explained what this change would mean for her. Watch his story in the video below.
Other political headlines
Former President George W. Bush surprised a group of local student veterans visiting the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. He thanked them for their service, took pictures with them and answered their questions. The Bush Center is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary. This week, Jack also spoke with North Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self. They discussed the debt ceiling fight in Washington and a new border security bill being developed in the House. Watch this week’s episode for the full interview. Don’t forget: this weekend is Election Day! Click here for a recap of all the big races and be sure to join us for live analysis on Saturday night. We will broadcast the results live as they come in. Find us on CBS News Texas, available on the CBS News app or on Pluto TV. Jack Fink
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