FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Republican Senator Ted Cruzof Texas, attempted an underdog challenge from Democratic Rep. on Tuesday. to fend off Colin Allred in one of the most expensive races of the year, which is testing shifts in America’s biggest red state and could play a role in the battle for control of the US Senate.

Allred, a three-term congressman from Dallas, has been locked in an uphill battle with Cruz, who has urged Republicans to take the race seriously after only he narrowly won his last re-election in 2018. No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest political losing streak of its kind in the U.S.

But Texas’ shifting demographics — driven by a booming Hispanic population — and shrinking victory margins for Republican candidates have strengthened Democrats’ belief that victories are within reach. That hope made Democrats see Texas as a country one of their few pick-up options in a year in which they defended twice as many Senate seats nationally as Republicans.

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

Allred, who would become Texas’ first black senator, has bolstered his upset bid by presenting himself as a moderate choice while mainly keeping a political distance from Vice President Kamala Harris. That hasn’t stopped Cruz from portraying his opponent as politically aligned with Harris, whose presidential campaign has not made an aggressive effort to topple Texas.

Allred, 41, is a former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney who has made abortion rights one of his top issues in a state that has one of the worst problems in the country. most restrictive bans. He campaigned with Texas women who were admitted to hospital with serious pregnancy complications after the ban went into effect in Texas and has pledged to help restore the historic Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

Cruz, who is seeking a third six-year term, has largely avoided the topic during the campaign as he hammered Allred on the issues of immigration and policies that support transgender rights. He has barred Allred from contact in Texas, where Democrats control the state’s major cities but have been kept out of power statewide and in the Texas Capitol, where the Republican Party has a majority.

Four in 10 Texas voters believe the economy and jobs are the most important issues facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a large-scale survey of more than 110,000 voters nationally, including more than 4,500 voters in Texas. About 2 in 10 Texas voters said immigration is the most pressing issue, and about 1 in 10 cited abortion.

Allred hopes to take advantage of Texas’ changing demographics, which along with its booming Hispanic population also brings an increase in Black residents and people moving from other states. He also has experience defeating a leading Republican incumbent, having entered Congress with a victory over Rep. Pete Sessions, who later ran successfully in another district.

In the late stages of the race, Allred tried to tap into some of the Democratic enthusiasm surrounding Harris at the top of the ticket, including by appearing on a packed meeting in Houston with the vice president and superstar Beyoncé. Cruz spent the final week of the race rallying supporters in the Republican Party’s rural and suburban counties that have been key firewalls for Democratic gains in Texas.