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.

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.

The race that could determine who controls the U.S. Senate. An Allred victory would give Texas its first Black senator and boost the Democrats' chances of maintaining their narrow Senate majority. Cruz winning would mean a third term for the incumbent Republican.