Texas U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw defeated for re-election in Republican primary by State Representative Steve Toth
Crenshaw was a highly decorated Navy SEAL.
Primary races were recently held in Texas for the upcoming general elections. There has been a shake-up on the Republican side in the Houston-area 2nd District for the United States House of Representatives.
Incumbent Dan Crenshaw has lost his bid for re-nomination to State Representative Steve Toth. Toth is now set to face Democratic businessman Shaun Finnie in the general election.
After having been a staffer for Congressman Pete Sessions, Crenshaw himself won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and was re-elected three times. At present, he is Chairman of the Intelligence Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture and Vice Chair of the Energy Subcommittee of the larger Energy and Commerce Committee.
Prior to going into politics, Crenshaw was a member of the United States Navy, including with the Navy SEALs. After serving in the Iraq War, he was deployed for the War in Afghanistan. During that time, Crenshaw was severely injured in Helmand Province, resulting in the loss of his right eye.
Crenshaw continued in the military for several years afterward and was stationed at times in Bahrain and South Korea. Eventually, he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Decorations he received include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
Daniel Reed Crenshaw was born to American parents in Aberdeen, Scotland in the United Kingdom. His mother passed away when he was a child. After spending time in Katy, Texas and Ecuador, Crenshaw graduated from high school at Colegia Nueva Granada in Bogoto, Colomba, later followed by Tufts University and Harvard University.
Since 2013, Crenshaw has been married to Tara Blake. The couple have a daughter, Susan.
For his part, Steve Toth is in his second go-round in the Texas House of Representatives via the 15th District. He was elected for the first time in 2012 after defeating incumbent Rob Eissler in the primary. After leaving the State House in 2015, he made a return in 2019.
In 2014, Toth ran for the Texas Senate in the 4th District, coming up short to another Republican in State House Majority Leader and future Senate President Pro Tempore Brandon Creighton. Two years later, Toth was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the 8th District of Texas. He finished in second place in the Republican primary behind incumbent Kevin Brady, who was Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee at the time.
A graduate of Pittsford Mendon High School located to the northeast of Buffalo, New York, Toth attended Rochester Bible College. He has three children with his wife Babette, who he married in 1984.