Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his Republican primary Tuesday after Texas state Rep. Steve Toth defeated the incumbent in a race that exposed deep divisions inside the GOP.
Toth’s victory in Texas’s 2nd Congressional District marked a stunning upset against the former Navy SEAL and House Intelligence Committee member.
The contest drew national attention as conservatives rallied behind Toth while Crenshaw faced criticism from the party’s right flank.
President Donald Trump declined to endorse either candidate, leaving Crenshaw as the only House Republican on the Texas ballot without the president’s backing.
BREAKING: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-R) has LOST to Steve Toth in the primary (double digits), in a major upset pic.twitter.com/yKfPMO5McI
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 4, 2026
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also stayed out of the race. Toth positioned himself as the more Trump-aligned candidate throughout the campaign.
He attacked Crenshaw for not supporting Trump’s claims of election fraud after the 2020 election and for backing a bipartisan immigration bill late in the Biden administration.
Crenshaw’s defeat came after weeks of tension between the congressman and fellow Texas Republicans.
Sen. Ted Cruz threw his support behind Toth after a reported confrontation with Crenshaw at an airport. The clash centered on whether Cruz had worked against the congressman’s reelection effort.
Toth now advances to the November general election against Democratic nominee Shaun Finnie, an investment banker who ran unopposed in the primary.
The Texas results reshaped several major races across the state. Rep. Tony Gonzales and gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera are headed to a runoff in the Republican contest for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ projections.
🚨 BREAKING: Brandon Herrera and RINO adulterer Rep. Tony Gonzales move on to a RUNOFF election in May after neither candidate receives 50% in the TX-23 primary, per @Redistrict
Gonzales CANNOT win this race.
TEXAS 23 MUST RALLY BEHIND HERRERA! pic.twitter.com/DSmKi7xyA0
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 4, 2026
The race tightened after allegations surfaced that Gonzales had an affair with a former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles. Santos-Aviles died by suicide this fall after setting herself on fire.
Military veteran Keith Barton and former Rep. Francisco Canseco also competed in the crowded primary.
Gonzales narrowly defeated Herrera during the previous election cycle after the race moved to a runoff.
Texas voters also set up a high-profile gubernatorial rematch. Gov. Greg Abbott secured the Republican nomination while Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa captured the Democratic primary.
State Representative Gina Hinojosa has won the Democratic Governor primary in Texas.
She will run against Trump loyalist Gov. Greg Abbott in the general election. pic.twitter.com/SIbW6MLgyb
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 4, 2026
The results set up a November contest between the longtime Republican governor and the Democratic challenger.
Abbott is seeking a fourth term in a state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1990.
Recent polling suggests a difficult path for Hinojosa, though the Democrat has narrowed the gap with the incumbent to single digits during the campaign.
Another race drew attention as a former Major League Baseball star stepped into politics.
Retired first baseman Mark Teixeira won the Republican primary in Texas’s 21st Congressional District.
Teixeira defeated a crowded GOP field to replace Rep. Chip Roy, who is running for Texas attorney general.
The former baseball star built a decorated career before entering politics. Teixeira earned three All-Star selections, three Silver Slugger awards, five Gold Glove awards and a World Series championship with the New York Yankees in 2009.
He retired from baseball after the 2016 season and entered the congressional race last August following Roy’s decision to pursue statewide office.
Teixeira campaigned as a close ally of Trump and Abbott. Trump endorsed the former athlete last month and praised him on Truth Social. “TOTAL WINNER, on and off the field!” Trump wrote.
“In Congress, Mark will work hard to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Champion School Choice, Safeguard our Elections, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” the president added.
Teixeira will face one of three Democrats in the November election: Kristin Hook, Regina Vanburg or Gary Taylor.
Texas Republicans also face a major showdown in the race for attorney general. Rep. Chip Roy and Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton are projected to advance to a May runoff for the GOP nomination to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Four Republicans competed for the position. The field also included Aaron Reitz, a former Justice Department official backed by Paxton, and state Sen. Joan Huffman.
State law requires a candidate to secure more than half the vote to avoid a runoff. No contender reached that threshold Tuesday.
Roy entered the primary with a narrow polling lead, while Middleton trailed close behind.
Middleton mounted a strong challenge after investing heavily in his campaign. The former chairman of the Texas House Freedom Caucus spent more than $10 million of his own money on the race.
Democrats are also competing to replace Paxton. State Sen. Nathan Johnson, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and attorney Tony Box are vying for the Democratic nomination.
The state’s U.S. Senate race is also heading to a runoff. Decision Desk HQ projected that incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will face each other in a May 26 showdown for the Republican nomination.
Neither candidate secured the majority required to avoid a runoff. Rep. Wesley Hunt finished third but captured double-digit support in polling ahead of the election.
The contest now pits the four-term senator against the embattled attorney general in a race that could reshape the Texas political landscape.
Democrats view the race as a possible pickup opportunity. The leading candidates have all highlighted their ties to Trump during the campaign.
Trump declined to endorse in the primary and said previously that he liked “all three” Republican contenders.
Elsewhere, voters in North Carolina produced their own high-stakes results. Former Pentagon official Laurie Buckhout won the Republican primary in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ projections.
Buckhout defeated Asa Buck, Robert Hanig, Eric Rouse and Ashley-Nicole Russell in the GOP contest.
She will face Democratic incumbent Rep. Don Davis in November in a rematch of their 2024 race.
Davis won that contest by less than two percentage points. North Carolina voters also set the stage for a pivotal Senate battle.
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley captured the Republican nomination while former Gov. Roy Cooper won the Democratic primary. The race will determine who replaces retiring Sen. Thom Tillis.
Decision Desk HQ polling averages show Cooper leading early surveys with 48 percent support while Whatley holds 37 percent. Both parties expect the margin to tighten as the campaign unfolds toward November.
