Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's success was rooted in rural Texas from the Panhandle to the High Plains where he ran up the score.

Two-term Sen. Ted Cruz defended his seat in Republican-leaning Texas against Democratic challenger and former NFL linebacker Colin Allred, who sought to become the first Democrat to capture a U.S. Senate race in Texas since 1988.

Cruz, 53, fought back, seeking in the final weeks of the campaign to paint Allred as wanting to allow boys to play in girls sports. He also tied Allred, 43, to Vice President Kamala Harris, who was expected to lose the presidential vote in the state, calling the two Democrats “dos liberales,” or, “two liberals” in Spanish-language advertising.