A decorated combat veteran and four-term congressman lost his seat Tuesday night when Texas voters in the 2nd Congressional District chose state Rep. Steve Toth over incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary.
Decision Desk called the race at 12:12 a.m. local time.
With roughly three-fourths of ballots tallied, Toth held approximately 58 percent of the vote compared to Crenshaw’s 40 percent — a commanding margin that reversed years of double-digit primary wins for the incumbent.
Crenshaw, 41, a former Navy SEAL who lost his right eye to an IED blast during a deployment to Afghanistan, has held the seat since 2019.
Toth, 65, is a small business owner with a background in construction and business consulting who also serves in the Texas state legislature.
Throughout the campaign, Toth framed his challenge as a question about the ideological direction of the Republican Party, arguing that Crenshaw had not proven sufficiently loyal to the MAGA coalition.
Crenshaw stood as the only incumbent Republican House member in Texas seeking re-election without an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Trump declined to back any candidate in the race. Crenshaw had at times broken with the president, including on the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he voted to certify.
Crenshaw also drew fire from some Republican allies for his consistent support of arming Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz backed Toth in the final week of the race, praising him as a “fighter” for school choice and fiscal responsibility. Cruz’s endorsement came after Crenshaw voted against a bipartisan aviation safety bill that Cruz had championed.
Toth’s campaign centered on the argument that the district — which was redrawn during a recent redistricting process — needed a representative more firmly aligned with the MAGA movement.
Despite the loss, Crenshaw had entered the race with a substantial financial edge, outraising Toth by more than $1.3 million. A pro-Crenshaw super PAC added more than $1 million in independent spending on his behalf, according to the Texas Tribune.
Earlier Tuesday, before polls closed, Crenshaw told Fox News that political opponents were specifically targeting him.
Crenshaw’s defeat makes him the first congressional incumbent to lose a primary in Tuesday’s contests across Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas.
Toth now advances to the general election, where he will face Democrat Shaun Finnie. The Cook Political Report has previously rated Texas’ 2nd Congressional District as solidly Republican, making Toth the heavy favorite heading into November.
“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 in a statement following his victory.
