Steve Toth, a hard-line conservative Texas state representative, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw in a close-fought Republican primary Tuesday that will sweep from the House a former Navy SEAL who has occasionally broken with fellow Republicans, according to The Associated Press.

The race, in a strongly Republican district in the Houston area, was a referendum on the candidates’ fidelity to President Donald Trump and his agenda, and whether a conservative with an independent streak like Crenshaw could still have a place in the party.

Trump did not endorse either candidate, a notable blow to Crenshaw, who found himself the only House Republican in Texas running for reelection without the president’s backing.

Toth has been among the most conservative members of the Texas House, often clashing with the chamber’s Republican leadership over legislation. Many members of the party’s far right in Texas threw their support behind Toth, as did the influential conservative podcast host Tucker Carlson, who had feuded with Crenshaw and called for his ouster.

Last month, after early voting had already begun, Sen. Ted Cruz also announced his backing of Toth.

Toth, 65, said in an interview before the election that he decided to challenge Crenshaw after watching him work with Democrats on a failed bipartisan immigration enforcement deal in 2024, during the waning months of the Biden administration.

But some of Crenshaw’s troubles could be traced to his break with the president over his efforts to reverse the result of the 2020 election.

Toth said that Crenshaw had lost many Republican primary voters in Texas’ deeply conservative 2nd Congressional District by attacking fellow Republicans who questioned the 2020 results.

Crenshaw, 41, has been a regular on cable news, offering praise to Trump in his second term. He has explained his “gruff” demeanor and breaks with fellow Republicans as deriving from his combat experience in Afghanistan, during which he lost an eye.

“In the end, I’m doing the job I’m supposed to be doing,” he said in an interview before the vote. “I’m telling you the truth.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By J. David Goodman/Eric Lee
c. 2026 The New York Times Company