Democrat Texas Senate hopeful Colin Allred is just two points behind Republican incumbent Ted Cruz, according to a second poll in a matter of days.

A survey from the Clean and Prosperous America PAC, an environmentalist advocacy group that campaigns for Democratic Party candidates, showed Cruz ahead of congressman Allred by 47 percent to 45 percent. The results are similar to a YouGov/University of Houston poll released on August 22, which also showed Allred about two points behind Cruz (46.6 percent to 44.5 percent).

The Clean and Prosperous America survey also suggests the Senate race in Florida between Sen. Rick Scott and former congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell could be very competitive. The poll shows that Scott is up by 3 points against Mucarsel-Powell (48 percent to 45 percent), which is among the closest margin of any public poll.

A number of Democratic figures have suggested that Texas and Florida—both considered strong red states—could be in play in November in the Senate races, and the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

If Allred were to flip the Texas senate seat from Cruz in November, he would become the first Democrat senator in the Lone Star state since 1988.

The Clean and Prosperous America poll shows Trump is leading Harris in Texas by 5 points (49 percent to 44 percent) and by 4 points in Florida (51 percent to 47 percent).

Greg Rock, executive director of the Clean and Prosperous America PAC, said in a statement: “The results of these two surveys show that both Florida and Texas are competitive states in the general election. Senators Rick Scott and Ted Cruz are unpopular and narrowly lead their opponents despite their incumbency.

“It’s too early to predict exactly who will vote in November or what the outcome will be,” Rock added. “But this snapshot shows that voters in Texas and Florida have clear choices ahead of them and might surprise the pundits and forecasters.”

Allred’s and Cruz’s offices were contacted for comment via email.

An Allred victory in Texas would be a major boost for the Democratic Party’s bid to hold on to the Senate after November’s elections.

The Democrats currently control the upper chamber by a 51-49 seat margin, including four independent senators who caucus or align with the party. The GOP is widely expected to flip the West Virginia seat held by outgoing Democrat-turned-independent senator Joe Manchin in November.

A previous University of Houston/Texas Southern University (TSU) poll released in July showed Cruz leading Allred by 3points (47 percent to 44).

The results revealed Allred had drastically cut the margin down from the 9-point lead Cruz held over his Democratic rival in the same poll late last year.

Michael Adams, director of the Executive Master of Public Administration graduate program at TSU, suggested that Allred is becoming more popular as his name recognition grows.

“As a congressman from Dallas, he wasn’t well-known in the rest of the state, but as a result of winning the primary and months of campaigning and advertising, his name ID has increased, and support has nudged up by 5 points,” Adams said.

The Clean and Prosperous America poll showing Allred behind Cruz by 2 points was conducted just prior to Allred giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Election forecasters Race to the White House are giving Cruz a 66 percent chance of winning November’s Texas Senate race, with Allred estimated to have a 34 percent chance. This is down from the 73 percent chance Race to the White House was giving Cruz in July.

The Clean and Prosperous America poll surveyed 837 registered voters in Florida and 725 in Texas between August 21-22. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent in Florida and 3.6 percent in Texas.

After months and months of the off-season, Notre Dame football has finally reached game week.

This Saturday night Notre Dame will travel to Texas A&M for one of the biggest games of the first full weekend of college football. ESPN’s College Gameday will be in College Station for the game as the eyes of the college football world will be on the Saturday night showdown.

As is the norm with Notre Dame, the depth chart was officially released on Monday morning.

Who starts at left tackle? How do the wide receivers set up? Who are the starting cornerbacks?

Here is how the Notre Dame depth chart looks entering Week One:

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Quarterback

QB1 – 13, Riley Leonard, 6-4, 216 lbs., Sr.
QB2 – 18, Steve Angeli, 6-2, 205 lbs., Jr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Running Back

RB1 – 4, Jeremiyah Love, 6-0, 206 lbs., So.
or – 24, JaDarian Price, 5-10, 203 lbs., Jr.
or – 20, Aneyas Williams, 5-10, 200 lbs., Fr.
or – 22, Devyn Ford, 5-11, 200 lbs., Gr. Sr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Wide Receiver

WR1 – No. 5, Beaux Collins, 6-2, 202 lbs., Grad. Sr.
or – No. 83, Jayden Thomas, 6-2, 218 lbs., Sr.

WR1 – 1, Jaden Greathouse, 6-1, 215 lbs., So.
WR2 – 2, Jayden Harrison, 5-10, 198 lbs., Grad. Sr.

WR1 – 6, Jordan Faison, 5-10, 182 lbs., So.
or – 10, Kris Mitchell, 6-0, 183 lbs., Grad. Sr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Tight End

TE1 – 88, Mitchell Evans, 6-5, 260 lbs., Sr.
TE2 – 87, Cooper Flanagan, 6-6, 257 lbs., So.
or – 9, Eli Raridon, 6-7, 250 lbs., Jr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Offensive Line

LT1 – 54, Anthonie Knapp, 6-4, 291 lbs., Fr.
LT2 – 79, Tosh Baker, 6-8, 320 lbs., Gr. Sr.

LG1 – 72, Sam Pendleton, 6-4, 305 lbs, So.
LG2 – 50, Rocco Spindler, 6-5, 331 lbs., Gr. Jr.

C1 – 70, Ashton Craig, 6-4, 308 lbs., Jr.
C2 – 78, Pat Coogan, 6-5, 310 lbs., Sr.

RG1 – 74, Billy Schrauth, 6-5, 315 lbs., Jr.
RG2 – 75, Sullivan Absher, 6-7, 321 lbs., So.

RT1 – 59, Aamil Wagner, 6-6, 290 lbs., Jr.
RT2 – 76 Guerby Lambert, 6-7, 318 lbs., Fr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Defensive Line

VYP1 – 12, Jordan Botelho, 6-3, 258 lbs., Gr. Sr.
VYP2 – 5, Boubacar Traore, 6-4, 240 lbs., So.
or – 44, Junior Tuihalamaka, 6-2, 246 lbs., Jr.

DT1 – 99, Rylie Mills, 6-5, 295 lbs., Gr. Sr.
DT2 – 47, Jason Onye, 6-5, 289 lbs., Sr.
or – 47, Jason Onye, 6-5, 289 lbs., Sr.

DT1 – 56, Howard Cross III, 6-1, 288 lbs., Gr. Sr.
DT2 – 41, Donovan Hinish, 6-2, 274 lbs., Jr.

DE1 – 9, RJ Oben, 6-3, 262 lbs., Gr. Sr.
DE2 – 40 Joshua Burnham 6-4, 247 lbs., Jr.
or – 30, Bryce Young, 6-7, 258 lbs., Fr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Linebackers

WLB1 – 24, Jack Kiser, 6-2, 231 lbs., Gr. Sr.
WLB2 – 4, Jaiden Ausberry, 6-2, 216 lbs., So.
or – 27, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, 6-3, 240 lbs., Fr.

MLB1 – 34, Drayk Bowen, 6-2, 239 lbs., So.
MLB2 – 27, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, 6-3, 250lbs., Fr.

ROV1 – 3, Jaylen Sneed, 6-1, 222 lbs., Jr.
ROV2 – 4, Jaiden Ausberry, 6-2, 216 lbs., So.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Cornerbacks

Nickel1 – 10, Jordan Clark, 5-10, 181 lbs., Gr. Sr.
Nickel2 – 21 Karson Hobbs 6-1 184 Fr.

CB1 – 20, Benjamin Morrison, 6-0, 190 lbs., Jr.
CB2 – 15, Leonard Moore, 6-2, 187 lbs., Fr.

CB1 – 29, Christian Gray, 6-0, 187 lbs., So.
CB2 – 7, Jaden Mickey, 6-0, 178 lbs., Jr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Safeties

Boundary1 – 8, Adon Shuler, 6-0, 200 lbs., So.
Boundary2 – 28, Luke Talich, 6-4, 208 lbs., So.
or – 23, Kennedy Urlacher, 5-11, 196 lbs., Fr.

Field1 – 0, Xavier Watts, 6-0, 203 lbs., Gr. Sr.
Field2 – 2, Rod Heard II, 5-11, 195 lbs., Gr. Sr.

Notre Dame Depth Chart – Special Teams

KO – 98, Mitch Jeter, 5-11, 195 lbs., Gr.

PK – 98, Mitch Jeter, 5-11, 195 lbs., Gr.

P1 – 16, James Rendell, 6-6, 219 lbs., Gr.
P2 – 90, Eric Goins, 6-2, 207 lbs., Gr.

LS1 – 49, Andrew Kros, 6-3, 222 lbs., So.
LS2 – 39, Rino Monteforte, 5-7, 198 lbs., Jr.

H1 – 26, Chris Salerno, 5-11, 208 lbs., Sr.
H2 – 81, Jack Polian, 6-0, 183 lbs., Sr.

PR – 6, Jordan Faison, 5-10, 182 lbs., So.
or – 1, Jaden Greathouse, 6-1, 215 lbs., So.

KR – 2, Jayden Harrison, 5-10, 198 lbs., Gr. Sr.
or – 4, Jeremiyah Love, 6-0, 206 lbs., So.
or – 24, Jadarian Price, 5-10, 203 lbs., Jr.

Notre Dame-Texas A&M Preview:

Marcus Freeman’s Accidentally Found Way of ‘Scouting’ Texas A&M

5 Aggies Every Notre Dame Fan Should Know for Irish vs. Texas A&M

Texas A&M loses running back for season ahead of Notre Dame opener

Notre Dame-Texas A&M Betting Line Shrinks Entering Game Week

Notre Dame National Bowl Projections Entering 2024 Season

Texas high school football is back, and programs in the Dallas-area will begin taking the field this week.

Here are 10 Dallas-area players to watch during Week 1 of the 2024 Texas high school football season.

Riley Pettijohn, McKinney, LB

McKinney at Frisco Emerson, 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ford Center at The Star

The five-star Ohio State pledge is the No. 2-ranked linebacker in Texas and had an extraordinary 125 tackles as a junior to go with eight sacks. He will be facing an Emerson team that averaged 51.9 points per game — best among area 5A schools — and 450.8 yards of total offense during a run to the Class 5A Division II state semifinals.

Edward Griffin, Coppell, QB

Sachse at Coppell, 7 p.m. Friday

The Baylor pledge threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns in last year’s 44-41 win over Sachse, and he had four touchdown passes in the second half. This could be another high-scoring affair, as Sachse ranked fifth among area 6A teams in passing (271.6 yards per game) and returns five-star Texas pledge Kaliq Lockett, the nation’s No. 3-ranked wide receiver who had five catches for 154 yards and a touchdown against Coppell last year.

Javian Osborne, Forney, RB

Lake Highlands at Forney, 7 p.m. Friday at City Bank Stadium

The four-star junior is rated the fourth-best running back in the nation in the Class of 2026 after he ran for 2,204 yards and 38 touchdowns as Forney reached its first state semifinal since 2002. Forney has moved up to Class 6A in realignment, and its first game in the new classification will be against a Lake Highlands team that is coming off a 9-3 season — the third time in four years that it has won at least nine games.

Bryson Jones, Frisco Lone Star, WR

Argyle at Frisco Lone Star, 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center at The Star

Lone Star four-star running back Davian Groce gets a ton of attention, and rightfully so after he had a combined 1,796 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing and receiving as a sophomore last year. But Jones, a four-star Texas Tech pledge, is rated the 12th-best wide receiver in Texas and had 64 catches for 1,092 yards and 15 touchdowns in an offense that ranked fourth among area 5A teams in passing yards per game (244.8).

Taz Williams Jr., Red Oak, WR

Red Oak at Colleyville Heritage, 7 p.m. Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium

The four-star Baylor pledge had six 100-yard games en route to amassing 80 catches for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns. There should be plenty of fireworks in the passing game, as Colleyville Heritage ranked second in passing yards per game and Red Oak was third among area 5A teams last year.

Gracen Harris, Ennis, WR

Ennis at Waxahachie, 7 p.m. Friday

Going into the 103rd meeting between these teams, the all-time series is tied 50-50-2 in the “Battle of 287.” Harris, an Oklahoma pledge who is the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the Dallas area, will try to help Ennis end a two-game losing streak in the series.

Kevin Sperry, Denton Guyer, QB

Aledo at Denton Guyer, 7:30 p.m. Friday at C.H. Collins Complex

The four-star Oklahoma pledge makes his Guyer debut after transferring from Carl Albert (Okla.), where he accounted for 42 touchdowns for Oklahoma’s Class 5A state champion. He will face an Aledo team that has won back-to-back Class 5A Division I state titles and beat Guyer 48-45 last year on a field goal on the last play of the game.

Jamarion Phillips, South Oak Cliff, LB

South Oak Cliff at Galena Park North Shore, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Phillips had 95 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 14 sacks as a sophomore and has picked up offers from Ohio State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, among others. He will look to slow down a prolific North Shore offense led by star quarterback Kaleb Bailey, who accounted for 52 touchdowns and 4,244 yards of total offense for last year’s Class 6A Division I state runner-up.

Chris Jimerson Jr., North Crowley, QB

North Crowley vs. Lancaster, 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Center at The Star

The North Texas pledge is one of the state’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks, as he showed last year when he threw for 3,092 yards and 40 touchdowns and ran for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead North Crowley to its first state semifinal since 2003. Jimerson accounted for at least three touchdowns in 11 of North Crowley’s 15 games, and he had one game with seven touchdown passes and two other games in which he accounted for six touchdowns.

Deondrae “Tiger” Riden Jr., DeSoto, RB

Creekside (Ga.) at DeSoto, 5 p.m. Saturday

The four-star Texas A&M pledge has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite missing five games and getting only 137 carries last season during an injury plagued junior year. He is healthy now and makes DeSoto’s offense even more explosive than a year ago, when it averaged 53.4 points and 516.2 yards of total offense while winning its second straight Class 6A Division II state title.

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