Texas voters in the 2nd Congressional District remove incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw in a decisive Republican primary victory for state Rep. Steve Toth.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Republican voters in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District delivered a decisive primary defeat to incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw, elevating Texas State Rep. Steve Toth to the top of the ballot and ending the congressman’s bid for a fifth term.
With 88% of the vote counted, Toth secured 56% compared with Crenshaw’s 40%, according to results projected by the Associated Press. Toth entered the race with support from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who publicly supported the state lawmaker during the heated GOP contest.
Crenshaw, 41, becomes the first congressional incumbent defeated during the 2026 midterm cycle. The district is considered strongly Republican, and because Toth won a majority of votes outright, he avoided a runoff and is positioned as the clear favorite heading into the November general election.
The contest drew national attention in part because President Donald Trump declined to endorse either candidate during the primary. Crenshaw was the only Republican incumbent from Texas’ congressional delegation who did not receive the president’s backing, even though the congressman had voted in line with Trump’s stated policy positions in every instance, according to the Texas Tribune.
Toth, a 65-year-old legislator originally from New York, released a statement shortly before media outlets called the race declaring victory and outlining his priorities for representing the district in Washington.
“Congressional District 2 voters want a representative in D.C. who will stand firm in his convictions, fight for his constituents, and follow through on his promises. I won’t let them down,” Toth said.
Crenshaw rose to prominence after first winning election to Congress in 2018. A former Navy SEAL who lost an eye during military service, he became widely known nationally after appearing in a widely discussed segment on “Saturday Night Live” shortly after his initial victory.
During his tenure in Congress, Crenshaw frequently engaged in foreign policy debates and drew criticism from some conservative commentators for supporting continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine. The disputes included public disagreements with Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson and exchanges with Fox News host Jesse Watters and Sen. Cruz, developments reported by Fox News.
Controversy also intensified in February 2025 when remarks Crenshaw made during a conversation with GB News reporter Steven Edginton surfaced online. The congressman was caught on video making comments about Carlson while speaking with the reporter.
“No, we’ve talked a lot on Twitter. If I ever meet him I’ll fucking kill him,” Crenshaw apparently said in footage Edginton later posted before adding, “No, seriously, I’ll kill him. He’s the worst person I’ve ever met.”
Crenshaw later denied the allegation when questioned by then-Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, though the video of the remarks circulated widely following Edginton’s post.
The Texas congressman had previously been involved in policy disputes within his own party as well. He publicly clashed with Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville during a dispute over military confirmations after Tuberville blocked promotions in response to a Biden administration policy allowing female service members to travel for abortions following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
With the primary concluded, Toth advances toward the November election in a district that has consistently elected Republican candidates, positioning the state representative to replace Crenshaw when the next Congress is seated.
Original article
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