Texas Primary: State Rep. Steve Toth Defeats Incumbent Dan Crenshaw

State Representative Steve Toth has unseated incumbent Congressman Dan Crenshaw in Tuesday's Texas Republican primary. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, faced criticism from conservative Republicans who questioned his alignment with Trump's political agenda.

State Representative Steve Toth emerged victorious over incumbent U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw in Tuesday evening’s Republican primary contest, marking the end of Crenshaw’s congressional career as the sole Texas House Republican who did not receive President Donald Trump’s backing in the nation’s opening major primary of 2026.

The former Navy SEAL, known for his occasional independence from party orthodoxy that sometimes put him at odds with Republican colleagues, campaigned throughout the primary season while defending himself against criticism from conservative factions within the party who questioned whether he supported Trump’s political priorities.

Toth, who serves in the state legislature and belongs to the hard-right Republican faction there, secured a significant late-campaign boost when Republican Senator Ted Cruz announced his support for the challenger.

The incumbent congressman, who suffered the loss of his right eye after being wounded by an improvised explosive device during his 2012 deployment in Afghanistan, had previously disagreed publicly with Cruz regarding the senator’s backing of Trump’s unsubstantiated assertions about winning the 2020 presidential race.

Among Texas Republican congressional candidates in 2022, Crenshaw stood out as one of the rare politicians willing to accept that President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was valid, a stance that sometimes created friction with his Republican peers.

Conservative activists also targeted Crenshaw after video footage circulated widely showing him denouncing certain Republican figures as “grifters” and “performance artists” who merely echo what conservative constituents want to hear.

The 41-year-old congressman had been pursuing a fifth consecutive term representing the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses suburban communities located north and east of Houston.