Tacos, boxing gloves and turnout math in Dallas Democrats’ runoff between Allred, Johnson

A musty boxing gym, a venerable Baptist church, union halls and a tiny taco joint. 

Democrats Colin Allred and Julie Johnson are looking for support in all kinds of places as early voting begins in a critical Dallas County congressional runoff.

Unlike the March 3 primary, which drew a historic surge of participation, the next round is expected to be determined by a far smaller crowd. 
Analysts say turnout could fall by more than half from the 73,000 people who cast ballots in March, roughly the size of a sold-out game at Gerald J. Ford Stadium at SMU.

For Allred and Johnson, the challenge is no longer simply about winning over Democrats. They largely align on Democratic priorities, meaning the race may instead hinge on who can better identify, motivate and deliver supporters back to the polls for a second time.

Early voting runs through Friday, with the election on May 26, the day after Memorial Day.

Allred, who finished first in the primary but fell short of the vote to avoid a runoff, said his goal was to “appeal to as many people as possible.”

“This is a chance to deepen some of the ideas I have for the people of this new district,” he said. “I know Dallas, and Dallas knows me. They know I deliver.”

Johnson said her supporters are eager for the rematch because they believe she “shows up” for her constituents.

“It’s about which campaign has the mechanism to turn supporters out,” she said. “I’ll put my ground game against anyone’s, anytime, anywhere.”

Though the district strongly favors Democrats, the runoff has drawn outsized attention because the winner is all but assured a seat in Congress and influence over the party’s direction in North Texas.

Allred and Johnson, once allies, have become fierce rivals.

Allred represented the 32nd Congressional District before leaving to run for Senate in 2024, endorsing Johnson as his successor. 

But last year’s Republican-led redistricting radically revamped the seat, stretching it into East Texas and making it a GOP stronghold. Johnson then opted to run in the newly drawn Democratic-friendly District 33.

Allred initially announced another Senate bid but switched to District 33 after Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas entered the Senate race.

Allred won the March 3 primary by 10 percentage points over Johnson but failed to secure the majority needed in the four-person race to avoid a runoff.

Since then, both campaigns have focused heavily on targeted turnout efforts, mostly through small venues and modest meet-and-greets.

After hitting the heavy bag, double-end bags, skipping rope and working with the training stick, Allred strode into the ring at Montoya’s Boxing Gym in East Dallas for light sparring.

Boxing and football are rugged sports, but they test competitors in different ways and sometimes push them out of their comfort zones. 

“For me, it was football,” Allred said, wiping sweat from his face. “For some of these kids, it’s coming to a boxing gym and learning discipline, having someone who cares about you.”

Allred played for the NFL Tennessee Titans before retiring due to a neck injury. He went on to law school and became a civil rights attorney.

After losing a 2024 Senate bid against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and later spending months campaigning for the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, Allred changed course

His congressional campaign has emphasized a return to the Dallas-area neighborhoods where he grew up and where, in 2018, he helped flip a Republican-held House seat.

For much of the runoff, Allred has mixed traditional campaigning with shifts at small businesses, including a welding shop, restaurants and the boxing gym.

 He hopes those local connections can push him past Johnson in their rematch.

“We’ve got to enlist as many people as we can for this fight,” Allred said.

He also has changed his style and message.

In 2024, he campaigned on bipartisanship and earned endorsements from former Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.

Despite losing to Cruz, Allred outperformed nearly every Democrat on the statewide ballot, including presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

He said Democratic voters now want a pugilist who can take on President Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda.

“Times have changed, and you change with the times,” Allred said in an interview at an East Dallas Mexican restaurant. “We were in a different world once Donald Trump became president.”

He said the current political climate presents “new challenges” that demand “new ideas,” including his new support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Russell Maryland recently joined Allred during a union rally in Dallas. He demonstrated a football drill that allowed defensive linemen to pave the way for the linebacker — a position Allred played — to make the tackle.

“We all know what he did in Congress the first time around,” Maryland told The Dallas Morning News. “When he gets back there, he’s going to be the fighter we need.”

After handshakes and hugs, the DJ’s music caught Johnson’s attention, and she swayed to the up-tempo beat.

Then she grabbed tacos during a pachanga at Old West Dallas Taqueria before more mingling and a speech.

“We’re going to have a congresswoman on the corner right here having some tacos,” she said. “We have to be available to the people.”

Johnson has been a rising star in North Texas politics after winning a Republican-held state House district in 2018. She’s leaning on the same retail-politics approach to keep her congressional career going.

Much of the political terrain in the 33rd District is new to Johnson, but she said she enjoys campaigning.

Earlier that day, she attended the 91st anniversary celebration at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Southern Dallas.

For the runoff, Johnson has tried to make headlines by hosting town halls tied to her official role in Congress.

In Dallas, she hosted New York Rep. Joe Morelle for a discussion about confusion during the primary, when more than 10,000 people went to the wrong polling sites after the Dallas County GOP forced a switch from countywide to precinct-level voting.

“The real work of a member of Congress is to help people navigate..federal government, especially under Donald Trump,” she said.

Dallas Democrat Jesse Vallejo, who attended the taqueria event, said Johnson stood out because of how visible she has remained.

“She shows up,” he said. “She’s everywhere.”

Allred has accused Johnson of putting personal ambition ahead of public service, pointing to stock trades she made while in Congress as “icky” and “unethical.”

The trades included shares in Palantir, a tech contractor whose software assists immigration officials with deportations.

“Julie Johnson has been one of the top stock traders in Congress,” Allred said.

Financial disclosures show Johnson bought Palantir stock on Jan. 15 and Feb. 12 of last year, each time in amounts between $1,000 and $15,000, before later selling the shares.

Johnson said she made $90 off the trades. Disclosure reports list ranges, not exact figures, leaving no independent way to verify her account. She also said she was an original author of a bill to ban congressional stock trading.

“He had to manufacture a false attack on me and try to give himself a campaign issue to run on,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s campaign said an independent money manager handled her investments, that she began divesting her portfolio in March 2025 and that all Palantir stock was sold by June 2025. Her campaign also said she had divested “all actively traded stocks” in 2025.

Johnson, meanwhile, has criticized Allred for voting for the Laken Riley Act, which she said “obliterates due process for immigrant communities.”

“My values don’t change,” Johnson said. “We have to have principled, consistent leadership in these times.”

The Republican runoff for the seat is between Patrick Gillespie, a customs broker, and entrepreneur John Sims. Because the district was drawn to favor Democrats, most political handicappers rate it safely blue.