Colin Allred

I'm not much of an interior decorator.

In the NFL, they told us about the dangers of social media from the very beginning, when it was in its infancy, really.

Everybody uses pivots when asked about things they can't directly address, or for which there is no good answer. In politics, we call it pivoting. In life, you just call it conversation.

The only questions I really don't want to answer are ones where I don't agree with the premise - where the question is slanted in some way, or factually incorrect. I'll say, 'That's not how I see it, and this is what I think.'

We're a big country, with a lot of things we need to work on!

As a member of Congress, you must pay the utmost attention to those who sent you there - to those you represent. But you also owe them your leadership. This is not something where you just follow the will of the people who reach out. You have to take that in, process it, and then weigh it against competing interests.

We have to make sure we uphold the traditions and values of our country.

From my sports career, I think I've gotten used to doing interviews and things like that.

Even when you mill about the House floor after a vote, you mill about in your partisan area. I'm someone who likes to walk over to the Republican side.

I try to approach things in a fair-minded way.

You have to raise a lot of money in Congress, and part of this job is making sure you're able to fund a re-election bid. What it's become over time, though - the way we fund campaigns - has become a bit of a farce.

The structure we set up in the beginning is that the House of Representatives is elected every two years, because it is supposed to be the most responsive body - the one most in touch with the people and the country. If they didn't like what was going on, they only needed two years to change it.

Anthony Gonzalez, who I played against in the NFL, got elected in Ohio. With old football players, you don't really have to do a whole lot of talking. I know what he's been through, in terms of what it took to become a professional athlete, and he knows what I've done, so we have a baseline of respect.

I was a huge Rangers fan. Me and my best friend knew every Rangers player down to the Double-A level.

A single member of Congress can't pass sweeping legislation, but we can be an advocate for making important changes, especially on issues in which people haven't had a member who is as receptive to their message.

I've been a voting-rights attorney and activist, so I understand the role of activists: They push decision-makers to get done what they'd like to get done. But as a decision-maker, you have more to balance, because any one interest group has to be considered against whatever the competing interests are.

Bills that go through the whole committee process end up being better bills.

The American model of leadership is critical in the world, and when we aren't involved, the models that fill the vacuum are not always the ones we want.

We have to find creative ways to allow people to get around, and allow goods and services to get to market.

In congressional offices, you don't have the ability to hire enough people to have a dedicated speechwriter. So mine is my communications director, who gets input from other folks on the team as well. That's kind of the nature of these offices - we don't have huge staffs, so everyone has to do a little bit of everything.

You know, I wanted to be a part of the infrastructure and transportation committee because of our incredible growth here in North Texas, and the growth of our state as a whole. And because I thought that it would be an area where we could have some bipartisan agreement.

I'm not a generic Democrat.

I've always run as myself, and tried to establish who I am, and I've got a different story than most folks.

I'm not afraid to do a contrast in terms of what my record is, what I want to do, versus Ted Cruz's record of what I think would be failing us. I don't think that's negative at all.

I learned while playing sports, particularly football, which is the ultimate team sport, the value of working with people you don't agree with all the time. You learn to work with people that you ordinarily wouldn't be friends with, but you learn to value and respect those differences.

I made a promise to North Texans that I will fight every day to defend their health care, including the protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

The CHIPS Act is proof that when we work together we can do big things for Texas and our nation.

Since my first day in Congress, it's been my top priority to find common ground so we can deliver real results for Texans.

We cannot allow the People's Republic of China and Chinese-linked companies to continue their exploitation of African nations as they subject their people to harmful ecological and public health risks.

I will keep working in Congress to ensure that Texas gets the investment in infrastructure we need.

Our airports are a key driver of economic growth in Dallas and across Texas, and I was proud to champion the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because I knew it would deliver for our aviation sector.

I am committed to helping all North Texans, including new parents, get the education and skills they need to enter the workforce and secure good-paying jobs.

We will not stand idly by while special interest forces and their allies in Washington look to rip away health care from millions of hard-working American families.

Family is so important and as a country we must allow for parents to spend time with their babies because providing parents the ability to stay home during this critical period leads to better outcomes for men, women and families.

Shutdown politics are nothing more than petty brinkmanship and serve only to take us backward.

We have so much to do for the American people; such as creating good paying jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, working to provide security and stability at home and abroad, and caring for our veterans to ensure they have the resources and quality services they need.

We must use every tool at our disposal to lower prices and make sure everyone has access to the care they need.

Washington shouldn't be playing political games with the paychecks of hardworking Texans.

Ted Cruz doesn't represent the Texas that I know.

We cannot go back to bad old days when folks were being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

I came to Washington to get things done, and I'll work with anyone to lower costs and defend protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

I was raised by a single mom, who was a Dallas public school teacher, so I saw first hand the hurdles women face in the workplace every day.

No matter who you are or where you work, everyone should receive equal pay for equal work.

The American people need Congress to stand up against attacks on their health care and work together to improve our system for everyone.

We must work together in a bipartisan way to address our broken immigration system with comprehensive reform.

North Texas is a vibrant community with so much to offer.

By reducing the influence of big money in politics and making voting as accessible as possible we are raising the voices of North Texans and people across America.

As a voting rights attorney, I know first-hand how partisan interests try to make it difficult for people to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

The right to vote is sacred and citizens should not be deterred from voting just because their polling place was moved.

It was not an option for me to skip college and try to go to the minors.