Deep Red Member of the Texas House Will Challenge Republican Rep. Crenshaw

A Texas state representative, consistently ranked as one of the most conservative, has announced his bid to unseat Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw in what could be a tough race for the incumbent, who is facing a growing list of challengers.

State Rep. Steve Toth officially launched his campaign on July 15 to unseat Crenshaw in the March 2026 GOP primary for Texas’s Second Congressional District.

Toth’s announcement was initially set for July 8 but was rescheduled after a catastrophic July 4 flood devastated the Texas Hill Country, leaving more than 120 people dead.

President Donald Trump, Crenshaw, and a host of other national, state, and local officials visited the area last week.

Toth, a pastor and business owner, represents parts of deep red Montgomery County in the Texas House.

Toth consistently has one of the most conservative voting records in the 150-member chamber, with an analysis of the 2023 legislative session ranking him the fourth most conservative.

Toth has hinted at a run against Crenshaw since June. Social media posts on X announced that Toth filed with the Federal Elections Commission on July 11.

Given his campaign experience, Toth, serving his fifth term in the Texas House, could have an edge over other challengers.

Toth has worked to ban critical race theory and transgender ideology from schools and secure the border—work he’d like to continue on the federal level, he told The Epoch Times.

He was one of only a handful of Republicans in the House to vote against impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton, a popular conservative who was acquitted by the state Senate in 2023.

He and other challengers have questioned Crenshaw’s conservative credentials over voting with Democrats to send money to Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Crenshaw voted for the 2024 bipartisan border bill, which received criticism from many Republicans and Trump.

While the bill would have provided more resources and agents and sped up asylum screenings, most Republicans rejected it, claiming it codified “catch and release“ policies under the Biden administration.

The bill would have allowed up to 1.8 million illegal immigrants into the country before temporarily shutting down parts of the border.

“The people of Congressional District 2 deserve an unwavering conservative who will fight for our convictions and never bend the knee to the radical left. That’s why I’m running for Congress,“ Toth said in a July 15 statement.

Crenshaw secured funding to help with Houston area flooding, and worked to restrict funding for transgender procedures and to fight the Mexican cartels. Crenshaw supported the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites.

“I don’t have much to say about Steve Toth—because there’s not much to say. While he was busy redrawing his home outside of TX-02, I was working hard for the people of TX-02,” Crenshaw said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.

“I get results. We passed the One Big Beautiful Bill—including my provision to reimburse Texas for border security operations,” his statement said.

Crenshaw, of Houston, told the Texas Tribune that Toth doesn’t live in the 2nd Congressional District, although that isn’t a requirement to run.

Toth, who lives just outside the Woodlands, said 99 percent of Texas House District 15 he represents is within the 2nd Congressional District.

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, has previously defeated all challengers, holding his seat since 2019, representing a district stretching from the Houston suburbs of The Woodlands to Atascocita.

“The betting man kind of leans toward the incumbent,“ Brendan Steinhauser, an Austin political consultant, told The Epoch Times.  

Steinhauser, who has worked on issues with both Crenshaw and Toth, said there were many “loud and active” voices outside the district during Crenshaw’s last primary, but ultimately, he won by a good margin.

However, Crenshaw has notably tangled with the likes of conservative heavy-hitter Tucker Carlson since his last primary, trading jabs on social media over issues of immigration and funding Ukraine.

“I think it can have an impact. I think what it does is the constant criticism by Tucker can create an environment that raises questions about the candidate,“ Steinhauser said.

Steinhauser said that whether such exchanges resonate with Republican voters within his district remains to be seen.

Steinhauser pointed out that Trump’s position on Ukraine has shifted in recent days, which could be a plus for Crenshaw.

“I think Dan has to show that he’s still connected to people. I think that’s how he pulls this out and wins handily,“ Steinhauser said.

The Texas GOP still has room for moderate and more conservative Republican candidates, he added.