A former NFL player who famously flipped a red seat blue in 2018, served three terms in Congress, and was later nominated to run against Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate is now looking to make a return to Washington. This time, he’s running against incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Julie Johnson in a closely watched race in the newly drawn Texas congressional district.
He speaks at length about affordability, the spread of misinformation, and the lasting impact of redistricting, while laying out what sets him apart from his opponent. Along the way, he also reflects on his previous campaigns, and he digs into his past races and how they’ve shaped his approach this time around.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now you Know and No de Barrosso is a production
of iHeartMedia in partnership with Recent Choice Media. Texas just
drew new maps, meaning that a lot of Democrats in
Texas find themselves disenfranchised, especially voters of color, and voters
of color have an opportunity to elect a black person
(00:20):
who was a former member of Congress, but it looks
like they're going to take the opportunity. So in light
of the redistricting war in Texas as a result of
Donald Trump's request, there has been a ongoing candidacy. Like
so many candidates have jumped in Texas policies. We got
Jasmine Crockett that is running for the United States Senate
(00:42):
in Texas. James Tallerico, who was considered a rising stars
also running for the United States Senate, which calls Colin Allred,
a former NFL player and former congressman, to leave his
race for the United States Senate in which he ran
for twenty twenty four, that he is now trying to
run well, he was trying to run for where again?
He is now running for the United States Congress in
(01:03):
Texas newly drawn thirty third Congressional district against the incumbent
She's a Democrat. Her name is Julie Johnson, and she
is currently the representative and she sees herself running for
another term. She's the incumbent, and now the congressman is
running for the same district. So we are saying an
ongoing election in Texas, and I encourage you to register
(01:25):
to vote. The deadline is in January. I will vote
dot com. Check your voter registration at iwill vote dot com.
It's the easiest way to check. Early voting is in February,
and we have an election in March. So everyone, I
encourage you to get involved in this election for Texas
thirty third Congressional District. I was the very first endorsement
that the congressman got for the United States Congress here
(01:47):
during his run for twenty twenty six Texas thirty third
Congressional district. So I'm so excited for this conversation we're
having today with former Congressman Colin Alright, how are you, Congressman.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I'm good. What's going on?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Man? Doing good? It's so good to hear. I need
to turn you up. It's so great to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh that's nice of you, man.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
But look Congressman. I was so shocked, Number one shock
to hear about your news last week. I was excited.
I was energized, and I believe, unless someone told me
a fib, I believe I was your first endorsement for
the career run for the United States Congress. I was
so excited to support you.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, thank you. No, I appreciate that. No, thanks for
having me on man. I appreciate you. Appreciate what you've
been doing.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Absolutely, so tell me. I guess the first question I
want to ask you is a very direct question, why
drop out for the US Senate and run for Congress?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Listen, I mean, I think when you've had the opportunity
and the faith of so many Textans placed in you
as I have, or have had five million Texans vote
for me, and you have a chance to go around
the state.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And talk to people, you develop a trust.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
But also there's some responsibility there, and I think responsibility
to do what you think is in their interest and
also in the party's interests, in the state's interest. And
I just didn't think that the path that we were
on was one that was going to lead to anybody
being successful, but that I thought that what I could
do is serving a different way by stepping up at
a time when we're losing representation in the Congress because
(03:13):
of all this Jerry mannering, which I know you've been following,
and we're losing particularly representation for communities of color, that
we could have a strong voice go to Congress and
represent us. And so that's what I can do. And
I felt really good in that piece about making that decision.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Absolutely right. Now you're a running against incumbent Julie Johnson,
tell me what differentiates your campaign from her campaign, your
policy platform to hers.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, and of course this is a new district, so
there's no incumbent. And my district that she was my
successor in was the thirty second district.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It's gone now.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
If your listeners should know that when they talk about
taking five seats in Texas, that means largely that they're
targeting these majority minority districts and they're taking them away,
and they're they're taking away representation for us. And so
we used to have three democratically controlled districts in the
Dallas area after I fli up to seat in twenty eighteen.
(04:08):
They're trying to take us down to two or even one,
and we have to make sure that we don't allow
that to happen. And so listen, I know Dallas, and
Dallas knows me, and this district is where I was
born and raised. It's also one that is an incredibly
diverse district. One I need to, I think, a representative
who understands our communities.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
But I've already brought one hundred and thirty five million
dollars in.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
This district before I ever even represented it during my
last time in Congress. There's a lot of important institutions
there that I've worked to support. But more than anything,
I've spent the last few months going around talking to
Texans who are working hard and who feel like they
can't get ahead.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And I understand that story. That's my story.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I was raised by a single mom who's a public
school teacher, and we struggled to get ahead, and so
I really want to go to bat for them. Make
sure that we make life more affordable, create opportunities for
young people like yourself so that you can become whatever
you want to become.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I know that path.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I know it needs to be done, and we need
to have a strong voice in Congress who can help
deliver on it.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You want to know such a cool story in politics,
Colin already is the story of a former NFL player
who ran for Congress and flipped a red seat. So
tell me about your journey from being an NFL player
to now representing or seeking to represent Texas in Congress
once again.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I often think there before the grace of God go
I because I've had a lot of different things that
could have happened in my life and a lot of
paths that ended up not going down.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And I'm always.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Been aware that there's people who've stepped up and given
me a chance and are the reasons why I've been
able to do the things that I've done. And when
you're raised by a single mom, it kind of requires
a village. And so I had the good public schools
that I went to where people helped me a lot.
I had a YMCA where I spent a lot of
time and it just so happened. I had a talent
at football, but talent's not enough, and it takes determination,
(05:55):
it takes a lot of hard work. I became captain
of the team at Baylor when I was there, and
I went undrafted, which means that thirty two teams over
seven rounds, nobody decided to draft me, and so I
knew that I was going to have a tough path
into the NFL, and I did, but I worked my
way into it and I was going to keep playing.
But I injured my neck in my fifth year, in
my fifth game, actually against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas,
(06:17):
which was tough for a Dallas guy. And after I
hurt my neck, I knew I'd gotten into law school,
and I knew I was going to go to law
school and be a civil rights lawyer. And I wasn't
really planning on running for office, but I was doing
voting rights work. I worked for President Obama and his administration,
and I felt like the area where I was born
and raised had somebody who didn't understand us and didn't
represent us well. And I kind of naively thought, well,
(06:39):
I think I could run against him, and thanks to
the community, I did beat him, and I had a
chance to service in Congress and look forward to doing
it again.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
What is your reaction to the news that Congresswoman Jasmine
Crockett would be running for the United States Senate.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, I mean I know Jasmine for some time. She's
a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I knew her before we were in elected office, and
we served Dallas together in Congress. I represented a neighboring
district to her, So I've known her for some time
and I know she's a fighter. And listen, the way
I always look at these things is that folks are
going to make their own mind up about what they're
going to do and how they think they can serve.
And what I always try and do is think, am
(07:16):
I doing what's in the best interest of the folks
I'm looking to represent?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And how can I best pursue that?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And so when jas when I talked about it, of
course I was a little bit surprised, but I also thought, well, okay,
then let's think about what's going.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
To be best for the state.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And also, you know how I can be a best
service during this time, because to me and I know,
I know you're still young, but you're smart, and this
is not a normal time. This is not a normal election.
We don't really have the luxury of just having a
bunch of democratic infighting during times like this. What we
need is to stand up to an out of control
(07:52):
president who has taken our country down a path that
will make it so that the stories like mine and
stories like the one you're building will be much harder
and are trying to in many ways roll back much
of the progress that we've made over the years.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
And I can't allow that to happen.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I've got two little boys, too, and I cannot hand
off a country to them.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I met that, yeah, I met at the White House.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah yeah, And I can't hand off a country to
them that's in worse shape than this than the one
that I inherited, Right, That's what a father's responsibility is too.
And so this has always been I think a time
for people to step up and show their true colors.
And I think you're doing that, Noah, And I'm trying
to do it too.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Congressman, I do want to ask you, do you have
because you're running your own race, do you know who
you'll cast your vote for for the United States Senate?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, I mean, listen. I'll probably weigh in on that
at some point. But what I've always tried to tell people,
and when Jasmin talked to me, I told her the
same thing is, especially now, try not to be a
part of just the national conversation. Get into some of
our working class communities, go to work, working, hard working
(08:58):
folks are and talk to them what's going on in
their lives, and understand what their ambitions are, what their
struggles are, what their fears are, what their hopes are,
because I think it's a little bit different than what
you might just see on TV or what you might
just hear about in Washington, right And I've had a
chance to do that and to understand that there are
many people out there who are afraid, and they're afraid
(09:19):
of this administration. They're afraid of this president, but they're
also afraid that nobody is seeing them, nobody hears them.
And so I hope that these folks would spend the
time doing that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Absolutely, what do you hope to accomplish when you get
back to Congress? You accomplished a lot during your time
in DC in your other term. What do you hope
to accomplish this time?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
We got a lot to do.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
We got a lot to do, and I think the
first thing is we've got to re establish the power
of the Congress. And this has been to me the
Congress that has completely forgotten is responsibilities and just a
quick civics lesson for anybody out there. The Article one
of the Constitution deals with the Congress, not the presidency.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Article two is the presidency.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
And I think the founders made our one about Congress
for a reason. They want it to be the heart
of our democracy, where the people who are most responsive
to their constituents and would be elected every two years
in the case of the House, and be somebody who
could be a bulwark and also could hold back a
presidency that's gotten out of control. And so I think
(10:19):
this one certainly has. But I think we also have
to get right to work on dealing with this affordability
crisis that folks are going through. And I get that too,
because I remember growing up going to the grocery store
and not being able to afford everything that we wanted.
And I know what folks are going through right now,
coming out of COVID and coming out of everything they've
been through the last few years, feeling like they're working
harder and harder for less, and we have to help them.
(10:40):
And so we have a lot to do, and I'm
looking forward to it. I feel more engaged and more
actually optimistic in some ways than I ever have.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Is there a specific tangible policy that you hope to
co sponsor right yourself or be a big part of
when you get back to Congress.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
There's so many and it's tough for me to choose
a voting rights lawyer before I ever came to Congress.
And I think that we should pick up and pass
the John Low's Voting Rights Act and for the People
Act that would have expanded voting rights, restored the Voting
Rights Act itself made some of the stuff that they're
doing in Texas illegal, and restore power to the people basically,
(11:18):
And I think that's one of the most fundamental things
that we have to do. But as somebody whose mom
rented a house for twenty years, I've been talking a
lot about helping first time home buyers with their down
payments and so no for working people. A lot of
folks can afford their mortgage, which is their monthly payment
on the house that they're bought and that the bank
is helping them pay for, but it's the down payment
(11:39):
that's the thing that gets in.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
The way for a lot of working folks.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
And my mom was like that it wasn't until I
was in the NFL I could help her buy her house.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
And I don't think you should.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Have to be in the NFL, have a son in
the NFL to be able to buy a house when
you're a working person. And so there's a lot that
we have to do, and I got a lot of
things that I'm excited about jumping into. But the first
thing that's going to have to be I think, is
also to start saying no to this president and saying
you can go no further on some of these things,
because they've already done a lot of destruction and we
have to rebuild a whole lot of things that have
(12:09):
been torn down.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Absolutely, quick question, congressman, regarding your time at the NFL.
Could I kop a signed Colin l Rod football?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, no problem, you got it, man.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Absolutely, We're getting touch about that. But anyway, I do
want to ask you last two years ago, it has
been a year ago. It's been a year. You ran
for the United States Senate, got the Democratic nomination, went
against Ted Cruz. You went all around the state. This
time you'll be going in Texas thirty three, which is
one specific district. So what do you see different from
when you were on all statewide? What different concerns are
(12:40):
you addressing to this district as opposed to the entire
state of Texas.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I mean, there are regions of Texas that are very
different from each other, and Texas could be five different
states in many ways, because we have places that are
so different, and when you're that big, geographically speaking, you're
so far apart that what happens in South Texas might
not even be known in North Texas.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
But I do think there's some through lines and some
things that are consistent everywhere you go. And that level
of concern that I was talking about, that fear that
people feel, that fear of this government but also of
having a chance to get ahead. That fear is real
all over the state and including in this district. But
there are some specific things that we have here that
(13:25):
we need to work on, and in Dallas in particular,
we have investments that have to be made in our
public education and our public transit. We have some really
important institutions like UT Southwestern, which is one of the
best research institutions in the country for health stuff. And
so there's a lot of individual things that I've worked
on in my last time in Congress that I'll get
to work on. But some of the overriding concerns I
(13:47):
think are similar, and so all around Texas. I've heard
some of the same stories, and I've had some of
the same people people tell me their same concerns, and
so I think, you know, as much as we are
a state of vastly different areas, we have some things
that everybody I think is feeling.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
No the viewers here are on the Midterm Series, most
of them do not speak politics. So to those listening
to this interview and listening to the Midterm Series and saying, hey, Congressman,
why should I go to the primary ballot and say
Colin already over incumbent Julie Johnson, without speaking politics, why
are you the best candidate in your race?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I think everybody has a feeling of fairness that we
all have in our hearts, that we feel like that
if you work hard and if you play by the rules,
that you should be able to get ahead and right
that you should be able to chase your dreams, chase
your goals, right that when you're doing the right things,
that should be rewarded, and right now it's not being
(14:46):
And part of that is that we have to have
leaders in place who understand I think the full scope
and story of our state, of our communities, but also
of our country. I'm somebody who has been serving ever
since I left the NFL, finding ways to serve my community.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Being a voting rights lawyer means trying to help people vote,
just so not caring who they're going to vote for,
but just.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Make sure that that they do vote.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Working with President Obama in the Department Housing and Urban
Development on making sure that people have a roof over
their heads, that they can get access to a house,
that they can afford that house. They're not discriminated against them.
They're trying to get that house. You're working in Congress
to try and pass laws that will help ordinary people
and make sure that the kids like you have a
chance to get ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And so I have a long record of service and
history of doing that, and I want to continue to
do it. But it's not just politics, right, This is
very real, everyday life. And I tell people all the
time that if you're not at the table, you're gonna
be on the menu.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Right.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
If you're not sitting there being a part of this process,
being a part of our democracy, then that democracy can
be making decisions about you and your future. Right, so
you might as well go ahead and participate in it.
And I think a lot of folks will.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Were you upset by Congressman's congress will and croc his
decision to run for Senate while you were still in
the race?
Speaker 3 (16:01):
No, No, I don't get upset about things like that.
I've been through a lot more difficult things in life
than somebody decided.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That they want to run for a race, right.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I think when you have some maturity and some perspective,
you start to see things from a broader view, right.
And I understand what leads people to make the decisions
that they make, and I don't hold it against them.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
What I do think is.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
That I try and do what I think is best
for me in terms of what i'm my goal, and
my goal was to be a public servant, right, and
to try and serve in a way that helps people
and that brings people together instead of dividing them up.
And so all that led me to do was sink, well,
how does this impact my goal of serving? And so
it certainly didn't upset me, but what it did make
(16:46):
me do was kind of reassess, and obviously I made
a different decision.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
You were on stephen A. Smith. How did that go?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I like stephen A. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I wish he wouldn't make fun of the Cowboys so much,
but yeah, I like stephen A. I'm obviously an athlete
and I love watching some of the debates on TV.
And he asked really good questions. He knew more policy
stuff than you might that I might have thought that
he was going to ask about. But obviously he's very smart.
But we got along well, and I think I think
(17:21):
he said that he kind of offered his endorsement of
me or whatever, and I certainly wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I want to ask you something, Does it conflict you
this whole Cowboys patriotism. Does it conflict with you ever
that the owner is a devout Trump support?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
I mean when you're a Cowboys fan, or if you're
a fan of any team, I think it's about more
than the owner, right. I think about some of the
Cowboys players that I've known over the years, friends of mine,
who have done important work in their communities. Right, And
so that's what I kind of get drawn to. And
you kind of got to take good with the bad
on some of these things, right, And when it.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Comes to professional sports.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
There's always going to be some things that you can
find that you might not like, but ultimately it's fun
to root for a team that's your area and say, hey,
we're better than those guys. Let's go beat those guys, right,
And I think that's what it's ultimately about.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Absolutely. How do you feel about any because I was
reading my comments throughout our endorsement, I'll leave you to
respond to it. How do you feel about misinformation perpetrating
your campaign? Right now?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Yeah, I mean that just comes with the territory. And
I think that we're in a moment where online and
online spaces can sometimes feel like they're real, and there
are some things that are real there, but by and
large it's not. And what I'm always keep in mind
is kind of the folks that I talk to when
I'm out in the community, who are like the kind
(18:47):
of people who I know I'm not looking to serve,
but who need me. Those conversations are always much more
important to me, right, And so you have to take
everything with kind of a grain salt and understand that
the Internet has some great things about it. Social media
some great things about it allows things to come together,
but it also can be a place of some real
negatives and in a place where you have to kind
(19:07):
of sort of protect your space, right and so to
you know, I just say at your age, enjoy the
things that you enjoy about it, but have limitations on it,
and don't let it feel like if you see something
on there that you don't like about you or someone
you like, that it's personal or that it's something that
you need to be concerned about. To me, you can
(19:27):
kind of see it as a tool that you can
use for how you want to use it.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
If you want to use it for information, if it
needs it to spread your voice and get people to
hear from you, that's great, But then put that tool
away and use some other tools for different things. And
that's kind of how I approach it.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
You got it to Fami, Congress, you got to family. Yeah, yeah,
you're quarterback, so I know you're good at that stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Yeah no, no, I got your back, brother, Yeah, And
you're fine, man. And listen, what you're doing is a
positive thing and you should feel good about that and
don't let anybody get you down about it no matter.
Just kind of when you the bigger platform, the more
you know people, you'll get who have opinions on what
you have to say, right, and sometimes you get to
take the good with the bad, right, so you get
you get some praise, you might have some people who
(20:09):
would say something you don't like, and so you just
got to say, Okay, that's part of it and shake
it off and just keep going.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
How are you using social media as a tool for
your campaign so far?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
I mean, I just like enjoy sharing my ideas, but
also trying to get people some insight into what actually
going to people looks like. And I think sometimes in
campaigns we often ask folks always to come to us,
and I think that there's a there's a time and
a place for that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Having big rallies and stuff like that. I enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But also you met beyont to.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Be Beyonce, I e got Kelly Rowland's kind of a
friend and she's campaign before even before that event, and
so that sufs great, right. But what I also want
to show is going to folks and kind of respecting
the dignity of what they do. Right, Like if they're
working on a construction site, how important is that they're
building this airport terminal? Or how important is it that
(21:01):
somebody is back there in that kitchen making your dinner
when you're out to eat, and they're working hard, and
they're doing it both to take care of their family,
but also because they take pride in the work that
they do.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
How important it is when you go to the grocery
store and you buy a cake and there's somebody who
has decorated that cake back there who's been working there
for thirty years, And she's a grandmother who takes care
of her grandson in the mornings and the evenings, right,
And I want to show those stories and elevate them
and remind us as much as I can who we
are and how many great people we have around us.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Would you say is your main policy platform as you
run for your seat again?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I mean I think this is a time to take
on a corruption and also to make sure that we
tackle affordability. And I think we're in a constitutional crisis
on a daily basis, right, and so we have to
do all that at once.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
And I think it all.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Actually is tied together because I meet people who feel
like things are kind of rigged against them, right, like
the process is rigged, and they're right. I can just
tell them, having seen it operate that they're right. You're
right when you think that, because when you have super
wealthy people who are purchasing elections and then purchasing policies
that will benefit them after those elections, that is a rig.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
System, right.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
And I'm always concerned about those hard working folks out
there who are trying to raise their families, who are
doing everything right, and who feel like no matter what
they do, it's not enough. And so that, to me,
we have to address. And it's not just at the
White House level and all that. It's also in the
Congress itself, and it's in the Democratic Party too. We
have to clean up our own house and make sure
(22:36):
that we're not allowing our supposed to be corrupted by
this corrupt system. Banning things like members of Congress getting
rich in office by trading stocks on the information that
they have as a member of Congress, that's not right.
I don't care if it's legal in the Congress, it's
illegal everywhere else, right. Or allowing certain special interests to
purchase all the influence so that they can get what
(22:57):
they want, drowning out the voices of ordinary people, that's
not okay, right, And so we have to clean that
up so we can take on what I think is
a really, really historically the most historically corrupt presidential administration
and American history. Right, this administration is up for sale,
and if you want to have some influence with it,
just contribute to the ballroom, or contribute to the President's
(23:21):
sun's business adventures, right, or purchase your way in right.
And that to me, that is so bad on so
many levels. But what it ultimately does is it means
that you are not the focus of the decision making.
It's out who can pay the most, and that's never
going to work out for us.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Absolutely. I have to ask you. It's a Colin already staple.
It is not relevant to twenty twenty five or twenty
twenty six, But I have to ask you. I supported
you vigorously when you ran in two thousand and March
twenty twenty four. I was phone banking on it. And
I don't even phone bank. I was spy phone banking
on a daily basis for you to your primary again,
(24:01):
someone that I didn't see ready for the United States
Senate Roland Gutierres. Why did you run such a good
campaign against him? How did that go?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Oh? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I mean I think that in general, I try and
I'm always thinking about the general election, right, I almost
thing about November. So we have primaries, but the primaries
are really about who's going to give us the best
chance in November, right often, I think, or it should be,
and I think that's what we were trying to do,
was just trying to say, hey, listen, let's let's get serious.
It's going to be a really tough thing to do,
(24:33):
but we have a chance and take on someone who
deserves to be taken on who does not should not
be able to walk back into the reelection because they've
done a bunch of horrible things. And as though I'd
been in tough races, we'd want tough races to get
into Congress, and then your reward when you win a
tough races, you get another tough race, because then they
want to get you out of Congress. Right, So we
(24:53):
kind of had that experience. But I had to try
it as much as I can, especially in that election,
to keep it positive, keep it a about what I
thought we could do and how I thought we could
do it together, and not make it so much about
me versus him, because ultimately what we wanted to have
a united party going into November.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Sorry to ask about him, I'll just it's it's a
Colinario staple. And do you think he would have performed
well in the general election?
Speaker 2 (25:18):
So I think he would have. Yeah, Well, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
And I think the last election, of course, so much
it was dominated by an incredibly dramatic presidential election. I mean,
let's just be honest, right, like that. You haven't been
through as many as I have, but we never have
replaced the Democratic nominee with one hundred and twenty one
hundred and seven days ago, right, And of course all
this stuff that was going on, the Trump, the assassination attempt,
(25:43):
all these things, it was I think it ended up
being one that will be talked about for some time, right.
But what it also ended up being was in states
like Texas, it went.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
The wrong way.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And even though I outran our ticket by nearly six points,
there's only so far that the kind of gravity allows
you to go right. And so I think this will
be a better year. I think that the timing is
important in elections that in life. Right, I think this
is going to be a better year for Democrats. But
we have to make it that way, right. You can't
just depend on it being like that.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
We have to make it. And so that's what all
the hard work it's going to be put in between
now and next November is going to be about.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
What are you planning to address to your constituents. You're
running in Texas third third district. You tackle affordability. We
spoke about that a little bit, but when you go
to Congress, what direct impact will you be able to
make on your constituents. I guess your constituent might say
their mayor has more impact, or maybe even their center
of their governor. What can you, as a congressman for
another term do for them?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Yeah, And as I said, we brought in one hundred
and thirty five million dollars in federal funding for this
district when I was in a different district, right, And
so I think part of what being able to do
that is knowing how to operate in a way where
you can take advantage of the funding that is there
then put it to use in that community, so that
we put that for housing, for healthcare, for transit, for research,
(27:14):
and using all the tools that we have to be
somebody who if there's a pot of money that I
can bring home to make things easier for the folks
in the neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
But also I was really proud of what we did
on for our constituent services, which means basically, if somebody
would call my office and they needed help with something
that we took a lot of pride in that. And
if they have a problem with their Social Security or
with their veterans benefits, or with the IRS or any
other federal issue, they could call us and we could
(27:45):
get that thing going as quickly as possible because we
had experienced doing it, and also we worked really hard
at it, right, and even if it was a state
or a local issue, we could pass you on to
to the right person so we could be a point
of contact for.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
You, right.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
And so we help folks through COVID, which was really
obviously disruptive and all that, but I think we had
a real positive reputation for being an office that was
very responsored to the community. And I would do town
halls and we'd be available to the community so that
folks could ask me questions, they could hear from me.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Right.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I was constantly communicating with my district, so they knew
what I was doing, why I was doing it. All
those things will bring into this new district, and I
think it allows us to have an ongoing conversation. And
that's what I think true representation is, right, it's an
ongoing conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Are you fond of King Jeffries' leadership?
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Well, I know it, Kim well and was one of
the folks who helped work to make him the leader.
I think it's been a difficult time, and I think
that having been in the minority and in a time
like this, I'm sure he's felt like there's a lot
more he would like to do than he could do right.
But I do think that we're seeing him and others
find their footing a bit and where we need to
(28:55):
push back against this president and this administration, and to me,
we think we need to be much more sure of
our footing and kind of feel like I think after
the election there was a lot of folk who felt like, well,
maybe we misunderstood everything about the country. Maybe we were
wrong about everything about the country. I don't think that's
it at all. I think that folks wanted to have
cheaper groceries, and I think they were hoping that somebody
was going to make life less expensive, and then he
(29:17):
meant it when he said that inflation was going to
go away, right, and that they were hoping that they
have maybe somebody who could shake things up a bit
and unrig the system that they felt wasn't working for them.
And that's what I think we need to talk about
more right instead of being a defender of the status
quo of how things are right now, we need to
talk about what we're going to change going forward and
how we're going to make things better. We don't want
(29:38):
to be in the position of defending a situation and
a current situation that people feel like it's not working
for them, and that I think is a trap that
we've fallen into too often.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Sometimes I want to bring it local to your place
over in Texas. Are you fond of the policy that
has no state income tax in Texas but a bit
of a higher sales sex Do you like that?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Well? I mean in Texas that's that we're used to that, right,
and so we have.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
There's different approaches that different states will have, and there's
always arguments for and against things like sales tax. It
can be progressive, but I think there are a lot
of Texans who appreciate that they don't have state income tax.
But what we see it show up in is in
our property taxes.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
So it's not like you just your tax burn is
not gone if you're in Texas. It just shows up
in different ways, right, And that passed that gets passed
on it in different ways to you. So if you're renting,
it will get passed on to you and your rent
if you own your house, or you passed on to
you when you're paying your property taxes. And so then
you'll think, oh, this is basically an income tax, right.
And so I think that we should shape policy always
(30:44):
to try and help out the most vulnerable people and
make it so that they have a chance, and then
also asking maybe a bit more sometimes of the folks
who are doing the best in our economy, right and
who have benefited the most from our collective work that
we've done to make a society where they could do
so well. And I think that that's true in Texas.
(31:04):
I think it should be true at the federal level, right,
and I think we can we can get that balance
much better.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I think I've wondered this, why didn't you decide to
run for governor.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Well, my experience is in the federal at the federal level,
I guess that's part of it. And when you've worked
in the Obama administration, that worked in Congress. My even
my voting rights work was in federal law, and I
know these issues right, and so I know how to
dive directly into that. And I think a friend of
mine was running for governor, Gina Henehosa, who I have
a lot of supports. Her name is Gina Henehjosa, and
(31:37):
I've endorsed her and I support her. She's a state
state rep right now, but she's running for governor and
I really like her and I want her to be
the next governor. And I feel like she can do
a good job, and that's where her experience also lies.
And so I think we all can serve in different ways.
So yeah, I'm a fan of hers.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I think she's Oh no, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
I mean, I just think that you have to use
where your strengths are right, and if you have experience
at something and that makes you more effective also maybe
lets you understand what's broken in it. And so I
know what I think needs to be done. I won't
always be interested in that. I think there be times
that may be where all look at something else. But
at the moment, that's where I felt like I could
(32:19):
make the biggest difference to.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Someone saying that this affordability stuff sounds good. But besides
the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to everything like that,
what actual policies do you hope to co sponsor or
get along with when you're in Congress that addresses affordability.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Yeah, And I put out a plan for a more
affordable Texas and folks can check it out on our website.
And it's got a number of components, right as the
housing component that I talked about healthcare, And one of
the biggest drivers of folks costs is just that if
you get sick and it banks reupts the whole family,
that's not right. And we're seeing that, unfortunately, go in
the opposite direction right now with the Affordable Care Act.
(32:55):
And I'm sure you followed that, no, and seeing all
the things that how folks costs are going to go
up there, that's a problem.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
The cost of your education is a problem.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
The fact that people are going to have to graduate
with a huge amount of debt if they want to
get a degree and a higher degree, that's not okay,
we can do something about that. Childcare, No, it is
a huge cost for families. I'm sure your families experienced that, right,
which is especially in the early years before your kids
get into pre k and into kindergarten. The cost of
childcare is one of the biggest costs that families have.
(33:25):
That's part of my platform as well, is dealing with childcare,
and so I try to come at it from every angle,
including things like tariffs that are costing working families two
thousand dollars more a year because of the tariffs that
this president has put on the American people and made
your goods more expensive. This is a more expensive Christmas,
more expensive Honic a season for people because of these tariffs.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Right, So that tariff should be repealed. So there's a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Different components to it, and I think what you have
to have though, is a laser focus on what's in
every area, But how can we make things a bit
more affordable and then you just chip away at it
has to be that at the at the expense of
the special interest, right, because you'll have someone like Big
Pharma who makes the pharmaceutical companies who don't want to
have their their their profits go back down, right, because
(34:12):
they are enjoying those profits and they want to keep
it that way, And so they're going to try and
purchase that access in Washington.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
They can't purchase me, So I'm gonna I'm gonna take
them on.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Are you confident about your chances in winning this primary?
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Yeah, of course, And I'm I'm always confident, but I'm
always humble enough to say that I'm working hard at it, right,
And I think that you have to approach every election
that way. And what I think is that it's not
about me. It's not about just the issues of the
moment even it's about the people you know in the
district and what do they want and how can we
speak directly to that right? And that's that's what I
(34:48):
think I always try to keep in mind. And so I,
as I said when I got into this, I'm humbly
asking the folks of this newly drawn district to support me,
vote for me, all those things. But no matter what,
I will always be a leader and someone who will
do everything I can to serve Dallas because this is
the place that I was born and raised and where
(35:10):
everything that I've done, from the NFL to being a
civil rights lawyer to working for President Obama to Congress,
everything I've done started here with being raised by a
single mom with no money, struggling to get by and
needing a community to give me a chance.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
And that's what they gave me.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Absolutely In Congressman, you have my support from the day
you launched. I'm so happy to have had you on
the Midterm series. Everyone can download the episode. Where is
your website?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Well, thank you know, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
I'm proud of you, and I think you should be
proud of yourself and your parents should as well. And
my website is Colin allread dot com. And hope folks
will go there and check it out.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
I hope they campaign for you in Texas. Congressman, thank you, buddy,
Thank you so much for coming on.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
All right, you take care.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
But folks, we heard from Texas politics. We heard about
the congressman's former run when he ran for the United
States Senate against Ted Cruz in twenty twenty four, his
run for the United States Senate in twenty twenty six,
and now his run for Congress in Texas newly drawn
thirty thirty third Congressional district. Now, this is all in
(36:12):
light of jerrymandering. States like Florida and stays like Texas
jerry manner against Democrats to get Democrats less seats in
the United States Congress, sometimes the state house seats, which
hurts them politically. It's a very corrupt system that many
thousands of voters across the country find themselves being disenfranchised
by every single census. If you're watching on Spotify, you're
(36:33):
watching on Apple podcast, I need you to leave me
a five star review with a comment. That would mean
a whole lot to you. Boy, Thank you.
Now you Know and No de Barrosso is a production
of iHeartMedia in partnership with Recent Choice Media. Texas just
drew new maps, meaning that a lot of Democrats in
Texas find themselves disenfranchised, especially voters of color, and voters
of color have an opportunity to elect a black person
(00:20):
who was a former member of Congress, but it looks
like they're going to take the opportunity. So in light
of the redistricting war in Texas as a result of
Donald Trump's request, there has been a ongoing candidacy. Like
so many candidates have jumped in Texas policies. We got
Jasmine Crockett that is running for the United States Senate
(00:42):
in Texas. James Tallerico, who was considered a rising stars
also running for the United States Senate, which calls Colin Allred,
a former NFL player and former congressman, to leave his
race for the United States Senate in which he ran
for twenty twenty four, that he is now trying to
run well, he was trying to run for where again?
He is now running for the United States Congress in
(01:03):
Texas newly drawn thirty third Congressional district against the incumbent
She's a Democrat. Her name is Julie Johnson, and she
is currently the representative and she sees herself running for
another term. She's the incumbent, and now the congressman is
running for the same district. So we are saying an
ongoing election in Texas, and I encourage you to register
(01:25):
to vote. The deadline is in January. I will vote
dot com. Check your voter registration at iwill vote dot com.
It's the easiest way to check. Early voting is in February,
and we have an election in March. So everyone, I
encourage you to get involved in this election for Texas
thirty third Congressional District. I was the very first endorsement
that the congressman got for the United States Congress here
(01:47):
during his run for twenty twenty six Texas thirty third
Congressional district. So I'm so excited for this conversation we're
having today with former Congressman Colin Alright, how are you, Congressman.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
I'm good. What's going on?
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Man? Doing good? It's so good to hear. I need
to turn you up. It's so great to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh that's nice of you, man.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
But look Congressman. I was so shocked, Number one shock
to hear about your news last week. I was excited.
I was energized, and I believe, unless someone told me
a fib, I believe I was your first endorsement for
the career run for the United States Congress. I was
so excited to support you.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, thank you. No, I appreciate that. No, thanks for
having me on man. I appreciate you. Appreciate what you've
been doing.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Absolutely, so tell me. I guess the first question I
want to ask you is a very direct question, why
drop out for the US Senate and run for Congress?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Listen, I mean, I think when you've had the opportunity
and the faith of so many Textans placed in you
as I have, or have had five million Texans vote
for me, and you have a chance to go around
the state.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And talk to people, you develop a trust.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
But also there's some responsibility there, and I think responsibility
to do what you think is in their interest and
also in the party's interests, in the state's interest. And
I just didn't think that the path that we were
on was one that was going to lead to anybody
being successful, but that I thought that what I could
do is serving a different way by stepping up at
a time when we're losing representation in the Congress because
(03:13):
of all this Jerry mannering, which I know you've been following,
and we're losing particularly representation for communities of color, that
we could have a strong voice go to Congress and
represent us. And so that's what I can do. And
I felt really good in that piece about making that decision.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Absolutely right. Now you're a running against incumbent Julie Johnson,
tell me what differentiates your campaign from her campaign, your
policy platform to hers.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, and of course this is a new district, so
there's no incumbent. And my district that she was my
successor in was the thirty second district.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It's gone now.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
If your listeners should know that when they talk about
taking five seats in Texas, that means largely that they're
targeting these majority minority districts and they're taking them away,
and they're they're taking away representation for us. And so
we used to have three democratically controlled districts in the
Dallas area after I fli up to seat in twenty eighteen.
(04:08):
They're trying to take us down to two or even one,
and we have to make sure that we don't allow
that to happen. And so listen, I know Dallas, and
Dallas knows me, and this district is where I was
born and raised. It's also one that is an incredibly
diverse district. One I need to, I think, a representative
who understands our communities.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
But I've already brought one hundred and thirty five million
dollars in.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
This district before I ever even represented it during my
last time in Congress. There's a lot of important institutions
there that I've worked to support. But more than anything,
I've spent the last few months going around talking to
Texans who are working hard and who feel like they
can't get ahead.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And I understand that story. That's my story.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I was raised by a single mom who's a public
school teacher, and we struggled to get ahead, and so
I really want to go to bat for them. Make
sure that we make life more affordable, create opportunities for
young people like yourself so that you can become whatever
you want to become.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
I know that path.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I know it needs to be done, and we need
to have a strong voice in Congress who can help
deliver on it.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You want to know such a cool story in politics,
Colin already is the story of a former NFL player
who ran for Congress and flipped a red seat. So
tell me about your journey from being an NFL player
to now representing or seeking to represent Texas in Congress
once again.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I often think there before the grace of God go
I because I've had a lot of different things that
could have happened in my life and a lot of
paths that ended up not going down.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And I'm always.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Been aware that there's people who've stepped up and given
me a chance and are the reasons why I've been
able to do the things that I've done. And when
you're raised by a single mom, it kind of requires
a village. And so I had the good public schools
that I went to where people helped me a lot.
I had a YMCA where I spent a lot of
time and it just so happened. I had a talent
at football, but talent's not enough, and it takes determination,
(05:55):
it takes a lot of hard work. I became captain
of the team at Baylor when I was there, and
I went undrafted, which means that thirty two teams over
seven rounds, nobody decided to draft me, and so I
knew that I was going to have a tough path
into the NFL, and I did, but I worked my
way into it and I was going to keep playing.
But I injured my neck in my fifth year, in
my fifth game, actually against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas,
(06:17):
which was tough for a Dallas guy. And after I
hurt my neck, I knew I'd gotten into law school,
and I knew I was going to go to law
school and be a civil rights lawyer. And I wasn't
really planning on running for office, but I was doing
voting rights work. I worked for President Obama and his administration,
and I felt like the area where I was born
and raised had somebody who didn't understand us and didn't
represent us well. And I kind of naively thought, well,
(06:39):
I think I could run against him, and thanks to
the community, I did beat him, and I had a
chance to service in Congress and look forward to doing
it again.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
What is your reaction to the news that Congresswoman Jasmine
Crockett would be running for the United States Senate.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Yeah, I mean I know Jasmine for some time. She's
a friend of mine.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I knew her before we were in elected office, and
we served Dallas together in Congress. I represented a neighboring
district to her, So I've known her for some time
and I know she's a fighter. And listen, the way
I always look at these things is that folks are
going to make their own mind up about what they're
going to do and how they think they can serve.
And what I always try and do is think, am
(07:16):
I doing what's in the best interest of the folks
I'm looking to represent?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And how can I best pursue that?
Speaker 3 (07:22):
And so when jas when I talked about it, of
course I was a little bit surprised, but I also thought, well, okay,
then let's think about what's going.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
To be best for the state.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
And also, you know how I can be a best
service during this time, because to me and I know,
I know you're still young, but you're smart, and this
is not a normal time. This is not a normal election.
We don't really have the luxury of just having a
bunch of democratic infighting during times like this. What we
need is to stand up to an out of control
(07:52):
president who has taken our country down a path that
will make it so that the stories like mine and
stories like the one you're building will be much harder
and are trying to in many ways roll back much
of the progress that we've made over the years.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
And I can't allow that to happen.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I've got two little boys, too, and I cannot hand
off a country to them.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I met that, yeah, I met at the White House.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah yeah, And I can't hand off a country to
them that's in worse shape than this than the one
that I inherited, Right, That's what a father's responsibility is too.
And so this has always been I think a time
for people to step up and show their true colors.
And I think you're doing that, Noah, And I'm trying
to do it too.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Congressman, I do want to ask you, do you have
because you're running your own race, do you know who
you'll cast your vote for for the United States Senate?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, I mean, listen. I'll probably weigh in on that
at some point. But what I've always tried to tell people,
and when Jasmin talked to me, I told her the
same thing is, especially now, try not to be a
part of just the national conversation. Get into some of
our working class communities, go to work, working, hard working
(08:58):
folks are and talk to them what's going on in
their lives, and understand what their ambitions are, what their
struggles are, what their fears are, what their hopes are,
because I think it's a little bit different than what
you might just see on TV or what you might
just hear about in Washington, right And I've had a
chance to do that and to understand that there are
many people out there who are afraid, and they're afraid
(09:19):
of this administration. They're afraid of this president, but they're
also afraid that nobody is seeing them, nobody hears them.
And so I hope that these folks would spend the
time doing that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Absolutely, what do you hope to accomplish when you get
back to Congress? You accomplished a lot during your time
in DC in your other term. What do you hope
to accomplish this time?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
We got a lot to do.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
We got a lot to do, and I think the
first thing is we've got to re establish the power
of the Congress. And this has been to me the
Congress that has completely forgotten is responsibilities and just a
quick civics lesson for anybody out there. The Article one
of the Constitution deals with the Congress, not the presidency.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Article two is the presidency.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
And I think the founders made our one about Congress
for a reason. They want it to be the heart
of our democracy, where the people who are most responsive
to their constituents and would be elected every two years
in the case of the House, and be somebody who
could be a bulwark and also could hold back a
presidency that's gotten out of control. And so I think
(10:19):
this one certainly has. But I think we also have
to get right to work on dealing with this affordability
crisis that folks are going through. And I get that too,
because I remember growing up going to the grocery store
and not being able to afford everything that we wanted.
And I know what folks are going through right now,
coming out of COVID and coming out of everything they've
been through the last few years, feeling like they're working
harder and harder for less, and we have to help them.
(10:40):
And so we have a lot to do, and I'm
looking forward to it. I feel more engaged and more
actually optimistic in some ways than I ever have.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Is there a specific tangible policy that you hope to
co sponsor right yourself or be a big part of
when you get back to Congress.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
There's so many and it's tough for me to choose
a voting rights lawyer before I ever came to Congress.
And I think that we should pick up and pass
the John Low's Voting Rights Act and for the People
Act that would have expanded voting rights, restored the Voting
Rights Act itself made some of the stuff that they're
doing in Texas illegal, and restore power to the people basically,
(11:18):
And I think that's one of the most fundamental things
that we have to do. But as somebody whose mom
rented a house for twenty years, I've been talking a
lot about helping first time home buyers with their down
payments and so no for working people. A lot of
folks can afford their mortgage, which is their monthly payment
on the house that they're bought and that the bank
is helping them pay for, but it's the down payment
(11:39):
that's the thing that gets in.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
The way for a lot of working folks.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
And my mom was like that it wasn't until I
was in the NFL I could help her buy her house.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
And I don't think you should.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Have to be in the NFL, have a son in
the NFL to be able to buy a house when
you're a working person. And so there's a lot that
we have to do, and I got a lot of
things that I'm excited about jumping into. But the first
thing that's going to have to be I think, is
also to start saying no to this president and saying
you can go no further on some of these things,
because they've already done a lot of destruction and we
have to rebuild a whole lot of things that have
(12:09):
been torn down.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Absolutely, quick question, congressman, regarding your time at the NFL.
Could I kop a signed Colin l Rod football?
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Yeah, no problem, you got it, man.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Absolutely, We're getting touch about that. But anyway, I do
want to ask you last two years ago, it has
been a year ago. It's been a year. You ran
for the United States Senate, got the Democratic nomination, went
against Ted Cruz. You went all around the state. This
time you'll be going in Texas thirty three, which is
one specific district. So what do you see different from
when you were on all statewide? What different concerns are
(12:40):
you addressing to this district as opposed to the entire
state of Texas.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
I mean, there are regions of Texas that are very
different from each other, and Texas could be five different
states in many ways, because we have places that are
so different, and when you're that big, geographically speaking, you're
so far apart that what happens in South Texas might
not even be known in North Texas.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
But I do think there's some through lines and some
things that are consistent everywhere you go. And that level
of concern that I was talking about, that fear that
people feel, that fear of this government but also of
having a chance to get ahead. That fear is real
all over the state and including in this district. But
there are some specific things that we have here that
(13:25):
we need to work on, and in Dallas in particular,
we have investments that have to be made in our
public education and our public transit. We have some really
important institutions like UT Southwestern, which is one of the
best research institutions in the country for health stuff. And
so there's a lot of individual things that I've worked
on in my last time in Congress that I'll get
to work on. But some of the overriding concerns I
(13:47):
think are similar, and so all around Texas. I've heard
some of the same stories, and I've had some of
the same people people tell me their same concerns, and
so I think, you know, as much as we are
a state of vastly different areas, we have some things
that everybody I think is feeling.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
No the viewers here are on the Midterm Series, most
of them do not speak politics. So to those listening
to this interview and listening to the Midterm Series and saying, hey, Congressman,
why should I go to the primary ballot and say
Colin already over incumbent Julie Johnson, without speaking politics, why
are you the best candidate in your race?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I think everybody has a feeling of fairness that we
all have in our hearts, that we feel like that
if you work hard and if you play by the rules,
that you should be able to get ahead and right
that you should be able to chase your dreams, chase
your goals, right that when you're doing the right things,
that should be rewarded, and right now it's not being
(14:46):
And part of that is that we have to have
leaders in place who understand I think the full scope
and story of our state, of our communities, but also
of our country. I'm somebody who has been serving ever
since I left the NFL, finding ways to serve my community.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Being a voting rights lawyer means trying to help people vote,
just so not caring who they're going to vote for,
but just.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Make sure that that they do vote.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Working with President Obama in the Department Housing and Urban
Development on making sure that people have a roof over
their heads, that they can get access to a house,
that they can afford that house. They're not discriminated against them.
They're trying to get that house. You're working in Congress
to try and pass laws that will help ordinary people
and make sure that the kids like you have a
chance to get ahead.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And so I have a long record of service and
history of doing that, and I want to continue to
do it. But it's not just politics, right, This is
very real, everyday life. And I tell people all the
time that if you're not at the table, you're gonna
be on the menu.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Right.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
If you're not sitting there being a part of this process,
being a part of our democracy, then that democracy can
be making decisions about you and your future. Right, so
you might as well go ahead and participate in it.
And I think a lot of folks will.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Were you upset by Congressman's congress will and croc his
decision to run for Senate while you were still in
the race?
Speaker 3 (16:01):
No, No, I don't get upset about things like that.
I've been through a lot more difficult things in life
than somebody decided.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That they want to run for a race, right.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I think when you have some maturity and some perspective,
you start to see things from a broader view, right.
And I understand what leads people to make the decisions
that they make, and I don't hold it against them.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
What I do think is.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
That I try and do what I think is best
for me in terms of what i'm my goal, and
my goal was to be a public servant, right, and
to try and serve in a way that helps people
and that brings people together instead of dividing them up.
And so all that led me to do was sink, well,
how does this impact my goal of serving? And so
it certainly didn't upset me, but what it did make
(16:46):
me do was kind of reassess, and obviously I made
a different decision.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
You were on stephen A. Smith. How did that go?
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I like stephen A. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I wish he wouldn't make fun of the Cowboys so much,
but yeah, I like stephen A. I'm obviously an athlete
and I love watching some of the debates on TV.
And he asked really good questions. He knew more policy
stuff than you might that I might have thought that
he was going to ask about. But obviously he's very smart.
But we got along well, and I think I think
(17:21):
he said that he kind of offered his endorsement of
me or whatever, and I certainly wasn't expecting that.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
I want to ask you something, Does it conflict you
this whole Cowboys patriotism. Does it conflict with you ever
that the owner is a devout Trump support?
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
I mean when you're a Cowboys fan, or if you're
a fan of any team, I think it's about more
than the owner, right. I think about some of the
Cowboys players that I've known over the years, friends of mine,
who have done important work in their communities. Right, And
so that's what I kind of get drawn to. And
you kind of got to take good with the bad
on some of these things, right, And when it.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Comes to professional sports.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
There's always going to be some things that you can
find that you might not like, but ultimately it's fun
to root for a team that's your area and say, hey,
we're better than those guys. Let's go beat those guys, right,
And I think that's what it's ultimately about.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Absolutely. How do you feel about any because I was
reading my comments throughout our endorsement, I'll leave you to
respond to it. How do you feel about misinformation perpetrating
your campaign? Right now?
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Yeah, I mean that just comes with the territory. And
I think that we're in a moment where online and
online spaces can sometimes feel like they're real, and there
are some things that are real there, but by and
large it's not. And what I'm always keep in mind
is kind of the folks that I talk to when
I'm out in the community, who are like the kind
(18:47):
of people who I know I'm not looking to serve,
but who need me. Those conversations are always much more
important to me, right, And so you have to take
everything with kind of a grain salt and understand that
the Internet has some great things about it. Social media
some great things about it allows things to come together,
but it also can be a place of some real
negatives and in a place where you have to kind
(19:07):
of sort of protect your space, right and so to
you know, I just say at your age, enjoy the
things that you enjoy about it, but have limitations on it,
and don't let it feel like if you see something
on there that you don't like about you or someone
you like, that it's personal or that it's something that
you need to be concerned about. To me, you can
(19:27):
kind of see it as a tool that you can
use for how you want to use it.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Right.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
If you want to use it for information, if it
needs it to spread your voice and get people to
hear from you, that's great, But then put that tool
away and use some other tools for different things. And
that's kind of how I approach it.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
You got it to Fami, Congress, you got to family. Yeah, yeah,
you're quarterback, so I know you're good at that stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Yeah no, no, I got your back, brother, Yeah, And
you're fine, man. And listen, what you're doing is a
positive thing and you should feel good about that and
don't let anybody get you down about it no matter.
Just kind of when you the bigger platform, the more
you know people, you'll get who have opinions on what
you have to say, right, and sometimes you get to
take the good with the bad, right, so you get
you get some praise, you might have some people who
(20:09):
would say something you don't like, and so you just
got to say, Okay, that's part of it and shake
it off and just keep going.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
How are you using social media as a tool for
your campaign so far?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (20:18):
I mean, I just like enjoy sharing my ideas, but
also trying to get people some insight into what actually
going to people looks like. And I think sometimes in
campaigns we often ask folks always to come to us,
and I think that there's a there's a time and
a place for that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Having big rallies and stuff like that. I enjoy that.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But also you met beyont to.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Be Beyonce, I e got Kelly Rowland's kind of a
friend and she's campaign before even before that event, and
so that sufs great, right. But what I also want
to show is going to folks and kind of respecting
the dignity of what they do. Right, Like if they're
working on a construction site, how important is that they're
building this airport terminal? Or how important is it that
(21:01):
somebody is back there in that kitchen making your dinner
when you're out to eat, and they're working hard, and
they're doing it both to take care of their family,
but also because they take pride in the work that
they do.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
How important it is when you go to the grocery
store and you buy a cake and there's somebody who
has decorated that cake back there who's been working there
for thirty years, And she's a grandmother who takes care
of her grandson in the mornings and the evenings, right,
And I want to show those stories and elevate them
and remind us as much as I can who we
are and how many great people we have around us.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Would you say is your main policy platform as you
run for your seat again?
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
I mean I think this is a time to take
on a corruption and also to make sure that we
tackle affordability. And I think we're in a constitutional crisis
on a daily basis, right, and so we have to
do all that at once.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
And I think it all.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Actually is tied together because I meet people who feel
like things are kind of rigged against them, right, like
the process is rigged, and they're right. I can just
tell them, having seen it operate that they're right. You're
right when you think that, because when you have super
wealthy people who are purchasing elections and then purchasing policies
that will benefit them after those elections, that is a rig.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
System, right.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
And I'm always concerned about those hard working folks out
there who are trying to raise their families, who are
doing everything right, and who feel like no matter what
they do, it's not enough. And so that, to me,
we have to address. And it's not just at the
White House level and all that. It's also in the
Congress itself, and it's in the Democratic Party too. We
have to clean up our own house and make sure
(22:36):
that we're not allowing our supposed to be corrupted by
this corrupt system. Banning things like members of Congress getting
rich in office by trading stocks on the information that
they have as a member of Congress, that's not right.
I don't care if it's legal in the Congress, it's
illegal everywhere else, right. Or allowing certain special interests to
purchase all the influence so that they can get what
(22:57):
they want, drowning out the voices of ordinary people, that's
not okay, right, And so we have to clean that
up so we can take on what I think is
a really, really historically the most historically corrupt presidential administration
and American history. Right, this administration is up for sale,
and if you want to have some influence with it,
just contribute to the ballroom, or contribute to the President's
(23:21):
sun's business adventures, right, or purchase your way in right.
And that to me, that is so bad on so
many levels. But what it ultimately does is it means
that you are not the focus of the decision making.
It's out who can pay the most, and that's never
going to work out for us.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Absolutely. I have to ask you. It's a Colin already staple.
It is not relevant to twenty twenty five or twenty
twenty six, But I have to ask you. I supported
you vigorously when you ran in two thousand and March
twenty twenty four. I was phone banking on it. And
I don't even phone bank. I was spy phone banking
on a daily basis for you to your primary again,
(24:01):
someone that I didn't see ready for the United States
Senate Roland Gutierres. Why did you run such a good
campaign against him? How did that go?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Oh? I don't know.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I mean I think that in general, I try and
I'm always thinking about the general election, right, I almost
thing about November. So we have primaries, but the primaries
are really about who's going to give us the best
chance in November, right often, I think, or it should be,
and I think that's what we were trying to do,
was just trying to say, hey, listen, let's let's get serious.
It's going to be a really tough thing to do,
(24:33):
but we have a chance and take on someone who
deserves to be taken on who does not should not
be able to walk back into the reelection because they've
done a bunch of horrible things. And as though I'd
been in tough races, we'd want tough races to get
into Congress, and then your reward when you win a
tough races, you get another tough race, because then they
want to get you out of Congress. Right, So we
(24:53):
kind of had that experience. But I had to try
it as much as I can, especially in that election,
to keep it positive, keep it a about what I
thought we could do and how I thought we could
do it together, and not make it so much about
me versus him, because ultimately what we wanted to have
a united party going into November.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Sorry to ask about him, I'll just it's it's a
Colinario staple. And do you think he would have performed
well in the general election?
Speaker 2 (25:18):
So I think he would have. Yeah, Well, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
And I think the last election, of course, so much
it was dominated by an incredibly dramatic presidential election. I mean,
let's just be honest, right, like that. You haven't been
through as many as I have, but we never have
replaced the Democratic nominee with one hundred and twenty one
hundred and seven days ago, right, And of course all
this stuff that was going on, the Trump, the assassination attempt,
(25:43):
all these things, it was I think it ended up
being one that will be talked about for some time, right.
But what it also ended up being was in states
like Texas, it went.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
The wrong way.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And even though I outran our ticket by nearly six points,
there's only so far that the kind of gravity allows
you to go right. And so I think this will
be a better year. I think that the timing is
important in elections that in life. Right, I think this
is going to be a better year for Democrats. But
we have to make it that way, right. You can't
just depend on it being like that.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
We have to make it. And so that's what all
the hard work it's going to be put in between
now and next November is going to be about.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
What are you planning to address to your constituents. You're
running in Texas third third district. You tackle affordability. We
spoke about that a little bit, but when you go
to Congress, what direct impact will you be able to
make on your constituents. I guess your constituent might say
their mayor has more impact, or maybe even their center
of their governor. What can you, as a congressman for
another term do for them?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
Yeah, And as I said, we brought in one hundred
and thirty five million dollars in federal funding for this
district when I was in a different district, right, And
so I think part of what being able to do
that is knowing how to operate in a way where
you can take advantage of the funding that is there
then put it to use in that community, so that
we put that for housing, for healthcare, for transit, for research,
(27:14):
and using all the tools that we have to be
somebody who if there's a pot of money that I
can bring home to make things easier for the folks
in the neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
That's what we're going to do.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
But also I was really proud of what we did
on for our constituent services, which means basically, if somebody
would call my office and they needed help with something
that we took a lot of pride in that. And
if they have a problem with their Social Security or
with their veterans benefits, or with the IRS or any
other federal issue, they could call us and we could
(27:45):
get that thing going as quickly as possible because we
had experienced doing it, and also we worked really hard
at it, right, and even if it was a state
or a local issue, we could pass you on to
to the right person so we could be a point
of contact for.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
You, right.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
And so we help folks through COVID, which was really
obviously disruptive and all that, but I think we had
a real positive reputation for being an office that was
very responsored to the community. And I would do town
halls and we'd be available to the community so that
folks could ask me questions, they could hear from me.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Right.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I was constantly communicating with my district, so they knew
what I was doing, why I was doing it. All
those things will bring into this new district, and I
think it allows us to have an ongoing conversation. And
that's what I think true representation is, right, it's an
ongoing conversation.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Are you fond of King Jeffries' leadership?
Speaker 3 (28:34):
Well, I know it, Kim well and was one of
the folks who helped work to make him the leader.
I think it's been a difficult time, and I think
that having been in the minority and in a time
like this, I'm sure he's felt like there's a lot
more he would like to do than he could do right.
But I do think that we're seeing him and others
find their footing a bit and where we need to
(28:55):
push back against this president and this administration, and to me,
we think we need to be much more sure of
our footing and kind of feel like I think after
the election there was a lot of folk who felt like, well,
maybe we misunderstood everything about the country. Maybe we were
wrong about everything about the country. I don't think that's
it at all. I think that folks wanted to have
cheaper groceries, and I think they were hoping that somebody
was going to make life less expensive, and then he
(29:17):
meant it when he said that inflation was going to
go away, right, and that they were hoping that they
have maybe somebody who could shake things up a bit
and unrig the system that they felt wasn't working for them.
And that's what I think we need to talk about
more right instead of being a defender of the status
quo of how things are right now, we need to
talk about what we're going to change going forward and
how we're going to make things better. We don't want
(29:38):
to be in the position of defending a situation and
a current situation that people feel like it's not working
for them, and that I think is a trap that
we've fallen into too often.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Sometimes I want to bring it local to your place
over in Texas. Are you fond of the policy that
has no state income tax in Texas but a bit
of a higher sales sex Do you like that?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Well? I mean in Texas that's that we're used to that, right,
and so we have.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
There's different approaches that different states will have, and there's
always arguments for and against things like sales tax. It
can be progressive, but I think there are a lot
of Texans who appreciate that they don't have state income tax.
But what we see it show up in is in
our property taxes.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
So it's not like you just your tax burn is
not gone if you're in Texas. It just shows up
in different ways, right, And that passed that gets passed
on it in different ways to you. So if you're renting,
it will get passed on to you and your rent
if you own your house, or you passed on to
you when you're paying your property taxes. And so then
you'll think, oh, this is basically an income tax, right.
And so I think that we should shape policy always
(30:44):
to try and help out the most vulnerable people and
make it so that they have a chance, and then
also asking maybe a bit more sometimes of the folks
who are doing the best in our economy, right and
who have benefited the most from our collective work that
we've done to make a society where they could do
so well. And I think that that's true in Texas.
(31:04):
I think it should be true at the federal level, right,
and I think we can we can get that balance
much better.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I think I've wondered this, why didn't you decide to
run for governor.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Well, my experience is in the federal at the federal level,
I guess that's part of it. And when you've worked
in the Obama administration, that worked in Congress. My even
my voting rights work was in federal law, and I
know these issues right, and so I know how to
dive directly into that. And I think a friend of
mine was running for governor, Gina Henehosa, who I have
a lot of supports. Her name is Gina Henehjosa, and
(31:37):
I've endorsed her and I support her. She's a state
state rep right now, but she's running for governor and
I really like her and I want her to be
the next governor. And I feel like she can do
a good job, and that's where her experience also lies.
And so I think we all can serve in different ways.
So yeah, I'm a fan of hers.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
I think she's Oh no, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
I mean, I just think that you have to use
where your strengths are right, and if you have experience
at something and that makes you more effective also maybe
lets you understand what's broken in it. And so I
know what I think needs to be done. I won't
always be interested in that. I think there be times
that may be where all look at something else. But
at the moment, that's where I felt like I could
(32:19):
make the biggest difference to.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Someone saying that this affordability stuff sounds good. But besides
the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to everything like that,
what actual policies do you hope to co sponsor or
get along with when you're in Congress that addresses affordability.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Yeah, And I put out a plan for a more
affordable Texas and folks can check it out on our website.
And it's got a number of components, right as the
housing component that I talked about healthcare, And one of
the biggest drivers of folks costs is just that if
you get sick and it banks reupts the whole family,
that's not right. And we're seeing that, unfortunately, go in
the opposite direction right now with the Affordable Care Act.
(32:55):
And I'm sure you followed that, no, and seeing all
the things that how folks costs are going to go
up there, that's a problem.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
The cost of your education is a problem.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
The fact that people are going to have to graduate
with a huge amount of debt if they want to
get a degree and a higher degree, that's not okay,
we can do something about that. Childcare, No, it is
a huge cost for families. I'm sure your families experienced that, right,
which is especially in the early years before your kids
get into pre k and into kindergarten. The cost of
childcare is one of the biggest costs that families have.
(33:25):
That's part of my platform as well, is dealing with childcare,
and so I try to come at it from every angle,
including things like tariffs that are costing working families two
thousand dollars more a year because of the tariffs that
this president has put on the American people and made
your goods more expensive. This is a more expensive Christmas,
more expensive Honic a season for people because of these tariffs.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Right, So that tariff should be repealed. So there's a
lot of.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Different components to it, and I think what you have
to have though, is a laser focus on what's in
every area, But how can we make things a bit
more affordable and then you just chip away at it
has to be that at the at the expense of
the special interest, right, because you'll have someone like Big
Pharma who makes the pharmaceutical companies who don't want to
have their their their profits go back down, right, because
(34:12):
they are enjoying those profits and they want to keep
it that way, And so they're going to try and
purchase that access in Washington.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
They can't purchase me, So I'm gonna I'm gonna take
them on.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Are you confident about your chances in winning this primary?
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Yeah, of course, And I'm I'm always confident, but I'm
always humble enough to say that I'm working hard at it, right,
And I think that you have to approach every election
that way. And what I think is that it's not
about me. It's not about just the issues of the
moment even it's about the people you know in the
district and what do they want and how can we
speak directly to that right? And that's that's what I
(34:48):
think I always try to keep in mind. And so I,
as I said when I got into this, I'm humbly
asking the folks of this newly drawn district to support me,
vote for me, all those things. But no matter what,
I will always be a leader and someone who will
do everything I can to serve Dallas because this is
the place that I was born and raised and where
(35:10):
everything that I've done, from the NFL to being a
civil rights lawyer to working for President Obama to Congress,
everything I've done started here with being raised by a
single mom with no money, struggling to get by and
needing a community to give me a chance.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
And that's what they gave me.
Speaker 1 (35:24):
Absolutely In Congressman, you have my support from the day
you launched. I'm so happy to have had you on
the Midterm series. Everyone can download the episode. Where is
your website?
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Well, thank you know, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
I'm proud of you, and I think you should be
proud of yourself and your parents should as well. And
my website is Colin allread dot com. And hope folks
will go there and check it out.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
I hope they campaign for you in Texas. Congressman, thank you, buddy,
Thank you so much for coming on.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
All right, you take care.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
But folks, we heard from Texas politics. We heard about
the congressman's former run when he ran for the United
States Senate against Ted Cruz in twenty twenty four, his
run for the United States Senate in twenty twenty six,
and now his run for Congress in Texas newly drawn
thirty thirty third Congressional district. Now, this is all in
(36:12):
light of jerrymandering. States like Florida and stays like Texas
jerry manner against Democrats to get Democrats less seats in
the United States Congress, sometimes the state house seats, which
hurts them politically. It's a very corrupt system that many
thousands of voters across the country find themselves being disenfranchised
by every single census. If you're watching on Spotify, you're
(36:33):
watching on Apple podcast, I need you to leave me
a five star review with a comment. That would mean
a whole lot to you. Boy, Thank you.
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