Some polls show this year's Texas Senate race is virtually tied, energizing Democrats in a state where no candidates in their party have won a statewide election since 1994. A new poll released on Monday shows Democratic challenger Colin Allred within striking distance of Republican incumbent Senator Ted Cruz.

The poll released by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation shows Cruz leading Allred by three percentage points, 48% to 45%, nearly within the margin of error of 2.83% for this poll.

Among Hispanic voters in the state, Allred has a commanding lead, 50% to 39%, an 11-point gap between the Democrat and the Republican candidates.

“We have continued to see Allred consistently outperform the top of the ticket in this race. The data suggests that this speaks more to Allred’s favorables than what we are seeing in the National conversation,” said Jason Villalba, CEO of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation.

Both candidates trade leads among other groups

Allred’s lead extends beyond Hispanic voters in Texas, the polling shows: Allred led Cruz by double digits among African-American voters and women, as well.

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Cruz leads by 21 percentage points among likely white voters and by 20 points with men across the state.

A close race in the Lone Star State

Monday’s poll is not the only one showing a close race in Texas. Last week, a poll released by Morning Consult showed Allred leading the race by one point. Another one by Emerson College and the Hill showed Cruz leading Allred by four points, just outside the margin of error of 3.3%.

The tightening of what has been a Republican seat for more than three decades has prompted concerns among some Republicans, including Donald Trump’s co-campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, who shared his concerns in a post on X.

What to know about Colin Allred

Allred is a relatively new face in Texas politics, winning for the first time in 2018, when he unseated incumbent House of Representatives member Republican Pete Sessions, who had served in the same seat for 22 years.

Allred’s seat, the Texas 32nd congressional district, encompasses parts of the Dallas metro area and other adjacent suburbs. It had been considered a solidly Republican seat until Allred’s victory almost six years ago.

Before his foray into politics, Allred played for four years in the NFL as a linebacker for the Tennessee Titans. After his career in football, he obtained his law degree and subsequently worked as a civil rights attorney.

What to know about Ted Cruz

Allred's competition is incumbent Senator Ted Cruz who has been serving as the senator from Texas for the last 11 years. He succeeded Kay Bailey Hutchison, who unseated Bob Krueger, the last Democrat to serve Texas in the Senate.

Cruz served as the solicitor general of Texas before being elected to the United States Senate in 2012. Apart from his duties in the Senate, Cruz also unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2016 Republican primary.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.