U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred Tuesday night in what was one of the nation's most closely watched and expensive senate races.  Cruz, who will now serve his third term in the U.

Ted Cruz (R-TX) won reelection to his Texas Senate seat in a closely watched race against Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), a boost for Republicans' quest for control of the upper chamber.  Multiple outlets called the race for Cruz within a couple hours of polls closing in Texas.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will win reelection to a third term, CNN projects, defeating Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred and denying Democrats one of their best chances to mitigate potential losses elsewhere.