Dan Crenshaw defeated by Cruz-backed state lawmaker in Texas GOP primary, boosting MAGA clout

Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, lost his Republican primary battle on Tuesday to Steve Toth, a state representative and businessman, following years of turmoil between Crenshaw and the MAGA faction of the Republican Party that questioned Crenshaw’s loyalty to Trump.

The 2nd Congressional District primary that ended Tuesday with Toth beating out Crenshaw drew a sharp line within the Republican Party. Crenshaw was not formally endorsed by President Donald Trump or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, endorsed Toth after he reportedly got into a tiff with Crenshaw at the airport over whether the senator was working against the representative’s reelection.

Ahead of the Tuesday primary, Toth positioned himself as the more loyal conservative, comparing Crenshaw to a “version of Liz Cheney,” who, when in Congress, found herself frequently at odds with Trump before exiting public office.

Toth, a Texas State Representative since 2019 who also owns a residential and commercial pool management company, received endorsements from the House Freedom Caucus, Turning Point USA, Sen. Cruz, Texas Right to Life, 21 Republican colleagues from the Texas state legislature and some high-profile local conservatives.

Meanwhile, Crenshaw received endorsements from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, leader of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the National Border Patrol Council, and the National Rifle Association, among others. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also told media ahead of the primary that he “supported” Crenshaw, and that “hopefully he pulls it out.”   

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost his eye in combat and currently sits on the powerful House intelligence committee, fought back against the label that he was an insufficiently loyal MAGA Republican ahead of the primary.

“My relationship with Trump is good,” Crenshaw told the Houston Chronicle, which also endorsed the incumbent congressman, in advance of Tuesday’s primary. “I work very closely with his administration. I’m close with Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel, because this is all within my scope too on the [House] Intelligence Committee. We work very closely together with the White House. You’d have to not pay attention to any of that to think I’m not ‘Trump’ enough.”

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In 2020, Crenshaw ran unopposed, then won about two-thirds of the vote in the following 2022 primary, according to Ballotpedia. But, in 2024, according to the database, Crenshaw’s popularity dipped significantly to around just 60% in the primary.

Just days ahead of Tuesday’s primary, reports surfaced of Crenshaw and Cruz getting into a tense exchange at the airport, during which Crenshaw allegedly accused Cruz of working against him in the House primary. According to reporting, Cruz responded: “If I’m working against you, you’re gonna know it.” 

Days later, he dropped his Toth endorsement, followed by a paid ad to get the word out.

“You deserve an unwavering fighter, a Republican who walks the walk,” Cruz says in the ad, which does not refer to Crenshaw.

Crenshaw had a substantial fundraising advantage over his opponents, but also faced redistricting changes in his district that drew parts of Toth’s home district into the race.

Toth will take on Democratic nominee and investment banker Shaun Finnie, who ran unopposed in the primary, during November’s general election to be the next Representative of Texas’s 2nd Congressional District covering parts of the greater Houston and surrounding areas.

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