Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s long-running feud with the MAGA wing concluded with a primary defeat Tuesday.
Crenshaw, a Republican from Texas, was defeated in the 2nd Congressional District primary by state representative and businessman Steve Toth after years of turmoil between Crenshaw and the MAGA faction that questioned his loyalty to President Donald Trump.
The contest drew a sharp line inside the GOP.
Crenshaw was not formally endorsed by President Trump or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Toth after he reportedly got into a tiff with Crenshaw at the airport over whether the senator was working against the representative’s re-election.
Ahead of the primary, Toth cast himself as the more loyal conservative, comparing Crenshaw to a “version of Liz Cheney.”
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, Cruz, Texas Right to Life, 21 Republican colleagues from the Texas state legislature, and some high-profile local conservatives.
Crenshaw, meanwhile, was endorsed by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, 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 an eye in combat and who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, pushed back against charges that he was insufficiently loyal to MAGA.
“My relationship with Trump is good,” Crenshaw told the Houston Chronicle ahead of the 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.”
Crenshaw ran unopposed in 2020, then won about two-thirds of the vote in the 2022 primary, and in 2024 his primary support dipped to around 60%, according to Ballotpedia.
Days before Tuesday’s vote, reports surfaced of Crenshaw and Cruz having 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, Cruz backed Toth, and a paid ad followed.
“You deserve an unwavering fighter, a Republican who walks the walk,” Cruz says in the ad, which does not refer to Crenshaw.
Crenshaw entered the race with a substantial fundraising advantage, but also faced redistricting changes that drew parts of Toth’s home district into the contest.
Toth will face Democratic nominee Shaun Finnie, an investment banker who ran unopposed in the primary, in November’s general election for the seat covering parts of the greater Houston area and surrounding communities.
