In Texas, Crenshaw's defeat headlines some tough blows for House incumbents

Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski, CQ-Roll Call on Mar 4, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The power of incumbency came up short for some House members from Texas on Tuesday night, with Rep. Daniel Crenshaw losing a primary and others forced into May runoffs.

Crenshaw, a four-term Republican, lost by double digits to Steve Toth, a hard-right state lawmaker who had the backing of the House Freedom Caucus and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Meanwhile, longtime Democratic Rep. Al Green appears headed for a primary runoff for his Houston-centered seat against Rep. Christian Menefee in a rare member-on-member contest spurred by last year’s congressional redistricting.

And Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who has been embroiled in scandal, failed to clear the 50% threshold necessary to avoid a runoff with YouTuber and pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera, who nearly defeated the incumbent two years ago. Gonzales is facing political fallout and calls to resign after allegations of an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide.

In the Dallas area, confusion over voting rules delayed results in a competitive House race pitting Rep. Julie Elizabeth Johnson against former Rep. Colin Allred for the 33rd District. The Associated Press had not called the race as of 3 a.m. Eastern, but Johnson’s campaign posted on X that, “Tonight, no candidate has secured a majority in TX-33, which means it looks like the race is headed for a runoff. We will continue to monitor the Election Day results as they come in.”

Both parties have faced a reckoning over ideological divisions. Democrats have also been grappling with calls for generational change.

Green, 78, has aggressively pushed back against President Donald Trump; he was escorted out of the House chamber last week after waving a sign during Trump’s State of the Union address. Menefee, 37, won a special election in January to fill the vacant 18th District seat.

Other rifts are ideological. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who was awarded the Purple Heart and lost an eye in Afghanistan, has generally been supportive of Trump’s agenda.

But to some in the pro-Trump MAGA movement, he was a RINO, or Republican in Name Only. “Absolutely thrilled @SteveTothTX will replace Dan Crenshaw – good riddance!” David M. McIntosh, president of the conservative Club for Growth, posted on social media.

Open seats

The state legislature’s redrawing of the congressional map, completed last year at Trump’s urging, upended politics in the Lone Star State. Republicans hope the redraw will net them five additional seats; three of those districts did not have an incumbent on the ballot.

In the 9th District, Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain and Trump-backed Army veteran Alex Mealer were headed to a runoff, the AP reported early Wednesday morning.

In the 32nd District, Trump-endorsed Jace Yarbrough was near the threshold to avoid a runoff with almost 80% of the vote reported early Wednesday morning.

In the redrawn 35th District, state Rep. John Lujan and Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz, the brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, are headed for a runoff, according to The Associated Press. Democrats will have a runoff election there as well, with Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia advancing to face Maureen Galindo.

Texas has also been rocked by retirements. Half a dozen Texas Republicans have called it quits or are running for other offices, leaving safe red seats that have drawn a bevy of GOP primary contenders.

In the 22nd District, former constable Trever Nehls won the GOP primary to succeed his twin brother, retiring Republican Rep. Troy Nehls.

In the 8th District, former Ted Cruz aide Jessica Hart Steinmann won the GOP primary to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Morgan Luttrell. And in the 10th District, the AP said attorney Chris Gober prevailed in the primary to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Michael McCaul.

Frederick Haynes III, a pastor, secured the Democratic nomination for the open Dallas-area seat that will be vacated by Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett — who lost the Senate primary to state Rep. James Talarico. Haynes has the backing of Justice Democrats and is heavily favored to win the deep blue district in November.

The primaries also determined who will compete in battleground races.

Two Democrat-held seats in South Texas that are top Republican targets this fall also became redder through redistricting: In the 28th District, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a Republican who was backed by Trump, will challenge Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar.

And in the 34th District, Eric Flores handily defeated former Rep. Mayra Flores in the GOP primary. Eric Flores, an Army veteran, will face Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in November.

In the competitive 15th District, Democrats selected Tejano music star Bobby Pulido to take on Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in November. The primary reflected some of Democrats’ ideological divisions, with Pulido, who’s been endorsed by the moderate Blue Dog PAC, prevailing over emergency room physician Ada Cuellar, a progressive.