The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is backing Cruz over his rival, whom it has previously endorsed twice

The nonpartisan pro-business group endorsed Cruz after twice supporting his opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat, when he ran for Congress.

The chamber joins many others, including key Democrats, who backed Cruz over Allred, citing high crime rates and the border crisis they say was created by the Biden-Harris administration, The Center Square reported.

The House’s endorsement of Cruz prioritizes his pro-business stance and commitment to job creation, tax cuts and expanding economic opportunity, Chamber Executive Vice President Neil Bradley said at an event at Doggett/John Deere in Houston Tuesday night.

Bradley joined Cruz in meeting with business leaders Tuesday at events in Carrollton, San Antonio and Houston.

“As leader of the United States Senate, Ted Cruz is an advocate for pro-growth policies that help Texas businesses, individuals and families achieve their American Dream,” Bradley said. “Senator Cruz has a proven track record of supporting policies that cut taxes, combat regulatory overreach, boost domestic energy production, modernize infrastructure and promote trade, all while protecting American jobs.”

Asked why the House decided to support Allred over Cruz, he told Center Square that the House “is not a partisan organization. We evaluate candidates based on their ability to support job creators, entrepreneurs and a growing economy. Of course, every race is different. We have 435 congressional races. We supported Mr. Allred in two of those reelection races, but we only have 100 Senate races.”

The Texas Senate race, he said, “is a very different race … and a choice that, to us, is pretty clear and simple. Senator Cruz has a proven track record of supporting job creators, of solving trade problems, of being open to the concerns of local small businesses. And then he gets results. So we’re confident he’ll continue that for another six years.”

The chamber endorsed federal candidates “who will defend free enterprise, including by vigorously advocating for public policy solutions that will spur economic growth, support jobs and foster the ability of businesses of all sizes to continue to innovate and invest in America,” it said in a separate statement.

Supporting Cruz and others who support economic growth is important, the chamber argues, “to avoid the largest tax increase in American history,” as the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Cruz voted for, is set to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts.

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Allred said that if he had been in Congress at the time, he would have voted against the bill, just as Vice President Kamala Harris did when she was in the U.S. Senate. Allred has supported Democratic presidential nominee Harris, who has promised to raise taxes on businesses, implement price controls and let the 2017 tax cuts expire if elected. Cruz argues that Harris and Allred’s policies would be disastrous for America, worsening the economy and killing jobs.

In a recent report, the Chamber highlights how pro-growth tax policy increases wages and improves the economy. “Tax policy should be designed to minimize the negative impact on economic growth,” it says. “Pro-growth tax policy not only grows the U.S. economy as a whole; it raises wages for American workers and improves living standards. Maintaining and improving pro-growth tax policy also ensures that the United States is globally competitive, retaining and attracting businesses, jobs, investment, and innovation.”