Trevor Reed’s dad backs Colin Allred in ad, says Ted Cruz did zero to free son from Russia

WASHINGTON – Joey Reed has endorsed U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, in his challenge to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, saying the Republican incumbent did nothing to free his son from a Russian prison.
Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran and Fort Worth native, was arrested in Moscow in 2019. Russian authorities said he grabbed a police officer as they drove to the station after a night of heavy drinking, causing the squad car to swerve and endangering two officers.
U.S. officials denounced the charges as bogus. Reed was facing nine years behind bars, and his loved ones were desperate for help.
“We were frantic. We tried to stay focused and not just break down every day crying. The first politician that we called was Ted Cruz. They basically said, ‘We’re not going to be able to help you,’” Joey Reed says in an Allred campaign ad released Thursday. “Ted Cruz didn’t lift a finger for us when everybody else in the state did. Colin Allred was right there, working with both parties to bring our son home.”
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Allred faces an uphill battle as Democrats haven’t won a statewide race in Texas in three decades.
To counter the state’s Republican leanings, Allred has pitched himself as a bipartisan pragmatist and cast Cruz as more focused on furthering his own political ambitions than helping Texans.
In the new ad, Joey Reed praises Allred’s ability to work with Republicans and points to a bipartisan resolution calling for his son’s return that Cruz did not co-sponsor.
“Senator Cruz refused to help us when everybody else in the government was,” Joey Reed says in the ad. “Our elected officials, they’re accountable not only for their actions but for their inactions. Ted Cruz is not here for Texas. Ted Cruz is here for Ted Cruz.”
It’s not the first time Joey Reed has aired complaints about Cruz. After his son was released in an April 2022 prisoner swap, he shared his frustrations in an interview with The Dallas Morning News and vowed to support whoever ran against Cruz.
At the time, Cruz aides responded by saying the senator had kept a low public profile regarding Trevor Reed’s detention because he didn’t want to antagonize Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Cruz said at the time he had been repeatedly advised by administration officials that taking a public role in the case would be counterproductive because of his role fighting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would allow Russia to sell gas to Germany without going through Ukraine.
Cruz campaign spokesperson Macarena Martinez responded to the ad by highlighting the senator’s work to bring home many Americans held overseas.
“Senator Cruz was incredibly relieved for Trevor and his family when he was released from wrongful detention in Russia and safely returned home,” Martinez said in a statement. “Senator Cruz has been a leader throughout his Senate career in fighting for the return of unjustly held Americans. He has been instrumental in bringing home American hostages from Lebanon and Venezuela, and is fighting daily to secure the release of Mark Swidan from China.”
Joey Reed, who lives in Granbury, has said he wasn’t aware of significant behind-the-scenes efforts by Cruz. He has previously acknowledged he voted for President Joe Biden, but also has poured praise on Republicans.
He said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, had been an outspoken critic of Nord Stream 2 and Putin while also publicly advocating for his son.
The Reeds have praised other Texas Republicans, such as U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. August Pfluger of San Angelo, for their work on Trevor Reed’s behalf.
Trevor Reed appeared in a 2022 campaign ad backing Pfluger, saying he was free because of the representative’s relentless efforts.