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Democrat Colin Allred defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Pete Sessions in the Dallas-area race for Texas’ Congressional District 32, The Texas Tribune projected.

Allred leads Sessions 52 percent to 46 percent with 1.4 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Texas Secretary of State.

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The Allred win was a major blow to Republicans’ failed attempt to keep control of the U.S. House. Sessions has served in Congress since 1997 and chaired the House Rules Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress.

Allred, 35, is a Dallas lawyer, former NFL player and political newcomer who at the most recent tally had outraised his opponent, bringing in nearly $5 million.

“You believed in us when all the pundits didn’t, when the experts said it wasn’t possible,” Allred told supporters after his victory. “And that belief has paid off tonight.”

In 2016, Sessions did not face a Democratic opponent, though Hillary Clinton narrowly beat Donald Trump in the district, marking it as a competitive target for Democrats this cycle.

Andrew Eversden was a 2018 reporting fellow, based in Washington, D.C. He graduated from American University, majoring in journalism and political science. He previously covered the Colorado congressional...

Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper...