Colin Allred, an NFL player turned lawmaker, looks to unseat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Rusty Shackleford, 31, of East Texas, said Allred is “taking Texas away from extremism and putting it in purple statehood.”

Carolyn Bush, 73, of Everman, like many of Allred’s supporters, has latched onto the congressman’s thoughts of sending Cruz to Cancun and out of state office. “Ted Cruz is not supporting the right people in Texas. It’s time for him to move on, and I’m here to make sure he does just that,” she said.

The event at the bar attracted a diverse crowd. There were groups of black friends, Asian American supporters, a Latina mother with her children in tow, white women in colorful hats — all sharing an optimism about the upcoming election. And while Allred hasn’t made his biracial identity a key component of his campaign, the importance of his race and his diverse base is not lost on him.

“My story is one of growing up as a black kid in Texas who came home every night to a white family,” Allred later said at the phone bank event in Dallas. “It has given me a certain insight and empathy to understand some of the differences you see in our society, but also the similarities. What I have always tried to do is to narrow these divisions between us, not just by race, but by all the factors that can divide you in daily life.”

At the phone bank event, Allred posed for pictures with 6-year-old Jerrin Norris, a little black boy whose mother calls an “Allred stan.” Norris’ mother, Passion Jackson, 43, has immersed Norris in his civic engagement since he was a baby — taking him to volunteer on campaigns and at political events.

While he is too young to vote, Norris made his point clear.

“The reason I like him,” Norris said, “is because he’s the best and he’s going to help our state and keep us safe!”