Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw was ousted Tuesday by a primary challenger who argued the incumbent was not sufficiently aligned with President Donald Trump.
Much of the attention ahead of this week’s contests has been on Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s future. That won’t be settled for weeks — until a runoff in May.
Crenshaw’s downfall to state Rep. Steve Toth is the first in what could be a series of primary defeats for incumbents in the 2026 election cycle, which started Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Dakota and Arkansas.
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Crenshaw, who was first elected in 2018 to his Houston-area seat, has voted consistently with Republicans. But Toth and his supporters — including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — framed him as a threat to Trump.
