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Rep. Dan Crenshaw loses to Republican primary challenger in Texas
| USA | general | ✓ Verified - nbcnews.com

Rep. Dan Crenshaw loses to Republican primary challenger in Texas

#Dan Crenshaw #Steve Toth #Texas Primary #Trump Endorsement #Republican Congress #2026 Election #MAGA Movement #Incumbent Defeat

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Steve Toth defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw in Texas Republican primary
  • Crenshaw was the only GOP House member in Texas seeking re-election without Trump's endorsement
  • The campaign centered on which candidate more closely aligned with Trump's policies
  • This marks the first incumbent Congressman to lose renomination in the 2026 election cycle

📖 Full Retelling

Texas state Rep. Steve Toth defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw in Tuesday's Republican primary election in Texas, March 4, 2026, as projected by NBC News, in a race centered on loyalty to former President Donald Trump after Crenshaw became the only GOP House member in Texas seeking re-election without Trump's endorsement. Crenshaw's defeat marks the first time a sitting member of Congress has lost renomination during the 2026 midterm election cycle. Toth, an ordained pastor and state legislator known for his conservative stance, challenged Crenshaw from the right, criticizing the incumbent's foreign policy and immigration views as insufficiently aligned with the MAGA movement. The challenger secured a late endorsement from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, which may have bolstered his position among the district's Republican voters. Throughout the campaign, Crenshaw attempted to counter the narrative that he wasn't sufficiently supportive of Trump, emphasizing his social media presence and public defense of Trump's policies, though his record includes backing aid for Ukraine and criticizing claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

🏷️ Themes

Republican Primaries, Trump Influence, Incumbent Challenges

📚 Related People & Topics

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Steve Hixson Toth (born November 29, 1960) is an American businessman, ordained pastor, and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15, The Woodlands area. Toth is a candidate for Texas's 2nd congressional district against Dan Crenshaw in the March 2026 Rep...

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Dan Crenshaw:

👤 Steve Toth 2 shared
👤 Ted Cruz 1 shared
🌐 United States Navy SEALs 1 shared
👤 List of Republican Party presidential primaries 1 shared
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Mentioned Entities

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Original Source
BREAKING NEWS Mar. 4, 2026, 5:38 AM UTC 2026 Election Rep. Dan Crenshaw loses to Republican primary challenger in Texas NBC News projects state Rep. Steve Toth defeated Crenshaw, who was the only GOP House member running for re-election in Texas who didn't have Trump's endorsement. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, was unseated in Tuesday's primary. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images file Share Add NBC News to Google By Megan Lebowitz and Ben Kamisar Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 Texas state Rep. Steve Toth defeated Rep. Dan Crenshaw in a Republican primary in Texas, NBC News projects, unseating Crenshaw after a race that centered on which candidate more closely aligned with President Donald Trump. Crenshaw becomes the first member of Congress to lose renomination in the 2026 midterm election cycle. Toth challenged Crenshaw — the lone GOP House member running for re-election in Tuesday’s primaries who didn’t have Trump’s endorsement — from the right, arguing that his foreign policy and immigration views did not sufficiently align with those of the MAGA movement. Toth, an ordained pastor, also secured a late endorsement from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Crenshaw, who is in his fourth term, has at times bucked his party by backing aid for Ukraine and criticizing Trump allies for their claims that the 2020 election was stolen. But he sought to tie himself closely to Trump throughout the campaign in the solidly Republican 2nd District. “If you think I’m not MAGA enough, then you’re not following me on social media, that’s the reality,” Crenshaw said in a February interview with the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board “If you don’t think I support Trump enough, then you’re not following me, you’re not listening to a thing I say. I’m out there defending his policies pretty hard and have defended them in extremely hard places in the past.” More recently, Crenshaw praised the United States’ recent military operation in Iran and said after the State o...
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