//

(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Last week, Congressman Colin Allred announced he was coming for Ted Cruz’s seat in the Senate. The all-lawyer throw down promises to be a highlight of the upcoming election cycle, with Allred already going hard. His announcement called out Cruz on his response to January 6th (all hat, no cattle), calling out the senator for jetting off to Cancun while Texas was in the middle of a deep freeze, and for being wildly self-centered instead of focused on the lives of Texans.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-top-300x250" ); });

But Cruz — or at least someone on his payroll — took the opportunity to fundraise for the incumbent’s campaign. Only problem? He included the below image in the text blast.

Sponsored The Ultimate Guide To eDiscovery With Google Workspace And Google Vault An effective team must be well-equipped to handle the unique challenges these tools present. From Onna and Above The Law  

Image via Twitter

However, that inset picture is not Colin Allred. This is Allred.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-middle-300x250" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-storycontent-440x100" ); }); googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-in-story-youtube-1x1" ); });

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) (Photo by Emil Lippe/Getty Images)

The image Cruz’s campaign used is of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Sponsored Sponsored Exploring ESG through the Lens of Risk Management Join us on May 11th and learn how to frame ESG as risk management and the trends to watch. From Axiom and Above The Law   Sponsored The Ultimate Guide To eDiscovery With Google Workspace And Google Vault An effective team must be well-equipped to handle the unique challenges these tools present. From Onna and Above The Law   Sponsored ChatGPT Draws State Lawmakers’ Attention To AI ChatGPT and other AI models have drawn a great deal of public attention since being introduced last year—state lawmakers are taking notice too. From Korey Clark, Editor, State Net Capitol Journal™   Sponsored Why CRM Is An Essential Tech Tool For Law Firms In 2023 CRMs are powerful tools to help law firms grow and scale without needing more staff. Read on for a brief overview of the basic benefits… From Jan Hill - Lawmatics  

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

They are both Black men with law degrees, but… they are very much not the same person. Indeed, there’s a 10-year age difference between the men and a number of pretty obvious physical differences too. Both of the men are pretty noteworthy political figures — and Allred is also a former NFL player — meaning you have to be in possession of some egregiously terrible Google skills to make the mistake.

The snafu has naturally been noted on Twitter.

googletag.cmd.push( function() { // Display ad. googletag.display( "div-id-for-bottom-300x250" ); });

That's a picture of @ManhattanDA Alvin Bragg…@TedCruz, do you think all black people look alike, or is it just the people working for you that do?

Either way, can't wait for @ColinAllredTX to retire you in ‘24. pic.twitter.com/qnbKqBY8Ej

— Alex Bores (@AlexBores) May 6, 2023

Ted Cruz’s team has denied all responsibility for the fundraising image and blamed an unnamed vendor for the problem.

Sponsored Sponsored Lex Machina Expands The Power Of Legal Analytics To Litigation In State Courts Lex Machina expands its powerful machine learning, trained and reviewed by attorneys, to help legal practitioners make data-driven decisions in state courts as well as… From Ethan Beberness   Sponsored Why CRM Is An Essential Tech Tool For Law Firms In 2023 CRMs are powerful tools to help law firms grow and scale without needing more staff. Read on for a brief overview of the basic benefits… From Jan Hill - Lawmatics  

Cruz spox denies campaign staff involvement in this message, said it was by one of their vendors. The link in the text goes to Cruz winred page

“The image was mistakenly sent by a vendor, and was not approved by Senator Cruz or his campaign.”

(Reposted to clarify earlier tweet) https://t.co/Kht3sNrNB5

— Matthew Choi (@matthewchoi2018) May 6, 2023

I’m not sure the embarrassing move will move the needle for undecided voters in Texas. But it is a bad look, suited more for an episode of Veep than real life. Yet, here we are.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on

Topics

Alvin Bragg, Colin Allred, Government, Ted Cruz