Steve Toth, a Texas state representative, defeated Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for a congressional district north of Houston.
Conservatives pointed to positions Crenshaw took in recent years that broke with President Donald Trump, who declined to endorse him in the race, for reasons for the congressman’s defeat.
David McIntosh, president of Club For Growth, the conservative economic advocacy group, wrote “good riddance!” to Crenshaw on X before the election was called.
Toth had help in the primary from popular conservative figures who endorsed him over Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who was first elected to Congress in 2018. Turning Point Action and the House Freedom Caucus both endorsed Toth. And Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Toth a week ago after Crenshaw voted against an aviation safety act that Cruz had sponsored.
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“Steve is an unwavering fighter for school choice, fiscal responsibility, and the next generation of Americans. Washington needs bold leadership and representatives who will stand up for Texans at every turn,” Cruz said in a post on X. “Steve has the experience, the courage, and the conviction to do just that.”
Trump didn’t endorse anyone in the race, and neither did Gov. Greg Abbott. It’s rare for a president to not endorse an incumbent member of their own party in a primary.
The candidates spent their campaigns trashing each other’s records and productivity, with Toth often painting Crenshaw as a “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only.”
Toth told ABC13 Houston that he “was a big supporter of Dan Crenshaw, as many people have been in the past,” but withdrew his support when the congressman backed a bipartisan Senate border bill in late 2024 that then-candidate Trump opposed.
“It’s trendy these days to come after Dan Crenshaw. Nobody knows why. Like you ask people, they don’t really have a good reason,” Crenshaw told ABC13 Houston last week. “There’s no policy. There’s no vote.”
Crenshaw’s problems within his party stem from political disputes he’s had with the president. Notably, he condemned Trump and his “reckless” actions after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, though he consistently voted for Trump’s agenda throughout the last year.
Toth won despite Crenshaw outraising and outspending him, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Crenshaw raised about $2.1 million from January 2025 to this February and spent about $2 million. He’s ending the primary with over $550,000 in cash on hand.
Toth raised nearly $600,000 from July to February, spent over $320,000 and ended with roughly half the amount of cash on hand as Crenshaw, FEC reports show.
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