A major political upset rocked Texas politics Tuesday night as four-term Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his GOP primary to Texas State Rep. Steve Toth, a victory that underscores the growing influence of the MAGA wing inside the Republican Party.
The hard-fought primary in Texas’s 2nd Congressional District ended with Toth defeating the incumbent congressman after months of escalating tension between Crenshaw and grassroots conservatives who questioned his loyalty to former President Donald Trump.
The race exposed deep divisions within the GOP. Notably, Trump did not formally endorse Crenshaw, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also stayed out of the contest.
But one of the most influential endorsements landed firmly on Toth’s side. Sen. Ted Cruz publicly backed the challenger after a reported confrontation between the two Republicans and Crenshaw at an airport. According to reports, Crenshaw accused Cruz of working behind the scenes against his reelection.
Cruz reportedly responded bluntly: If I’m working against you, you’re going to know it.
Days later, the Texas senator formally endorsed Toth and released a paid advertisement promoting the challenger. In the ad, Cruz praised Toth as the kind of Republican voters were looking for.
“You deserve an unwavering fighter, a Republican who walks the walk,” Cruz said, without mentioning Crenshaw by name.
Toth leaned heavily into that message during the campaign, presenting himself as the candidate more closely aligned with the conservative grassroots and the MAGA movement. At one point, he compared Crenshaw to a “version of Liz Cheney,” referencing the former Wyoming congresswoman who famously clashed with Trump before ultimately leaving Congress.
The strategy resonated with key conservative organizations and activists.
RINO Dan Crenshaw has been defeated by Steve Toth.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/YwcY4bFx7r
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 4, 2026
Toth, who has represented a Texas state House district since 2019 and also owns a residential and commercial pool management company, assembled an impressive coalition of endorsements from the party’s most outspoken conservative voices. Those backing him included the House Freedom Caucus, Turning Point USA, Texas Right to Life, and 21 Republican colleagues in the Texas Legislature.
Meanwhile, Crenshaw’s supporters included several major figures in Washington. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the National Border Patrol Council, and the National Rifle Association all endorsed the incumbent. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also said publicly he supported Crenshaw and hoped he would prevail.
Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in combat and now serves on the powerful House Intelligence Committee, pushed back hard against claims he wasn’t sufficiently aligned with Trump.
“My relationship with Trump is good,” Crenshaw told the Houston Chronicle before the primary. “I work very closely with his administration.”
He pointed to his relationships with figures such as Pete Hegseth, John Ratcliffe, and Kash Patel as evidence of his close cooperation with the White House on national security matters.
But the political landscape in the district had shifted.
Crenshaw once dominated his primaries. He ran unopposed in 2020 and secured roughly two-thirds of the vote in 2022. By 2024, however, his share dropped to about 60 percent, signaling growing dissatisfaction among Republican voters.
Redistricting changes also played a role in the race. Parts of Toth’s home territory were added to the district, giving the state representative a stronger base of support heading into the primary.
Now, the longtime congressman’s tenure in Washington has come to an abrupt end.
With the Republican primary decided, Toth will move on to face Democratic nominee Shaun Finnie, an investment banker who ran unopposed in his party’s primary. The two will square off in November to represent Texas’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes parts of the greater Houston area and surrounding communities.
The outcome marks one of the most significant primary defeats for an incumbent Republican this cycle and highlights the continuing power struggle inside the GOP between establishment figures and the populist conservative movement energized by Trump. 
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