Why a lone House Republican is fighting a primary in Texas without Trump’s backing

President Donald Trump has endorsed every House Republican running for re-election in the early 2026 primaries on March 3 — except one: Rep. Dan Crenshaw.

And unlike dozens of other Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas who have received Trump’s blessing, Crenshaw actually faces a competitive primary. Texas State Rep. Steve Toth says Crenshaw’s positions on foreign policy and immigration are out of step with the “Make America Great Again” wing of the party.

Crenshaw responded forcefully to the challenge. The four-term congressman has significantly outraised Toth and outspends him on the airwaves, according to ad tracking company AdImpact, airing TV spots emphasizing how “Crenshaw stands with Trump.”

But the lack of a blessing from the president, whose endorsement influences Republican primaries up and down the ballot, is a notable omission for Crenshaw, who has tangled with prominent conservative figures who are boosting Toth’s insurgent campaign in part by questioning Crenshaw’s loyalty to Trump. Crenshaw says he stands with Trump, but he also strongly supported aid to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, breaking with other members of the Republican Party. And he notably distanced himself from Trump’s false claims in 2020 that the presidential election was stolen, later criticizing unnamed Republicans for spreading the “lie” that the election could have been overturned.

The race to rally Trump on both sides of the race is another sign of how supporting the president has become one of the most important issues in Republican primaries across the country, a test of purity alongside issues such as border security and gun rights.

A combat veteran who served in the Navy SEALs, Crenshaw burst onto the national political scene in 2018 by winning a crowded primary for a safe open Republican seat. He gained key allies along the way, but also faced attacks on his conservative credentials that rhyme with the attacks he faces now.

He also took a brief turn in the national spotlight that year for a different reason: Pete Davidson, then a “Saturday Night Live” cast member, made fun of his appearance and later apologized during a joint appearance with Crenshaw on the program. Crenshaw wears an eye patch due to an injury he suffered in Afghanistan.

Crenshaw defended Trump’s immigration policies before he took office, and he took a similarly aggressive stance in the fight against Mexican drug cartels. He has also repeatedly supported legislation that would end Medicaid coverage for gender transition procedures for minors, another major point Trump is emphasizing.

Crenshaw’s recent TV ads include a video of Trump calling Crenshaw “great.” His campaign declined to comment on the race or Trump’s lack of support, but in an interview with the Houston Chronicle editorial board, which ended up supporting him, Crenshaw defended his conservative credentials and his advocacy for the cause.

“If you think I’m not MAGA enough, then you don’t follow me on social media, that’s the reality,” Crenshaw said. “If you think I don’t support Trump enough, then you don’t follow me, you don’t listen to anything I say. I defend his policies pretty harshly and I have defended him in some extremely difficult places in the past.”

“It’s very easy to tell people what they want to hear. It’s a little harder to go on ‘The View’ or the Bill Maher show and actually, seriously, defend what the right believes,” Crenshaw added. “If you want someone who doesn’t know how to do this to represent you, feel free to get rid of me, get rid of one of these people who has never lost an argument to a Democrat.”

A source familiar with Trump’s thinking told NBC News he was still likely to support Crenshaw, despite some misgivings. Indeed, even as Crenshaw aligns himself with the president, he has not always remained pure on the all-important question of loyalty to Trump.

In late 2020, Crenshaw joined more than 100 of his House GOP colleagues in signing a legal brief supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s challenge to Joe Biden’s victory in four key states. A month later, Crenshaw voted to certify the election results, even though the majority of House Republicans opposed certification.

He has repeatedly rejected claims that the 2020 election was stolen, including during a 2021 interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” Crenshaw later said on his podcast that the attempt to undermine Biden’s victory “was a lie meant to annoy people.”

In 2023, as many Republicans criticized the Justice Department following Trump’s indictment for mishandling classified documents, Crenshaw took a rather wait-and-see approach, calling the allegations “very problematic.” But he criticized the charges against Trump in New York, calling them politically motivated.

Crenshaw has also remained firm in his support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, although Trump and the Republican base have been less firm amid the shift away from the robust neoconservative foreign policy that was once the calling card of Republican politics in the early 21st century. He’s also sparred with prominent conservatives over his positions on Ukraine, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson — whom Crenshaw was caught criticizing on a hot mic last year.

“The biggest rift between Rep. Crenshaw and the president is on foreign policy. It’s an issue that the president has fought over with his own party, and these frictions are representative of that division within the MAGA movement,” Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, told NBC News, calling Crenshaw’s foreign policy disagreements a “crack” in his relationship with the conservative base.

“Foreign policy issues are undoubtedly the biggest fissure, but the beginning of that fissure is because Crenshaw did not support Trump in any meaningful way in the election fight,” he added.

On the trail, Toth positioned himself to the right of Crenshaw, citing his reputation as one of the most conservative Republicans in the state Legislature and highlighting Trump’s past support for his previous candidacies.

Toth took advantage of Crenshaw’s break with people like Carlson, appearing on his popular podcast to tout his campaign and brutalizing Crenshaw for his past votes on immigration and Ukraine.

“I have been very consistent: I have been supported by President Trump in 2022 and 2024. Why?” Toth said at a campaign event he posted a video of on social media earlier this month. “Because I really believe that we have to fight against, we have to go against the tide, which is: the Republicans win the elections, they take power. The Democrats win the elections and they exercise power.

“We should not be ashamed of our willingness to exercise power and do the right thing,” Toth added.

Conversations with voters at early voting locations highlight how these dynamics play out in the district.

Julie Jakubson, a Magnolia resident, told NBC News she supports Crenshaw even though she supports Trump. She said she knew the president hadn’t supported the outgoing president, but she still thought Crenshaw did a “good job” and appreciated the way he stood for his values.

“I don’t want anyone to come with me,” she said. “The support from Ukraine didn’t sit well with a lot of people, but it was a problem and he believed in it.”

Richard Burgoon, a Texas voter who lives in Montgomery, told NBC News he voted for Toth, criticizing Crenshaw for not supporting Trump “in a lot of different situations,” he said, and for being “brash.”

Burgoon’s wife, Sharon, said she, too, voted for Toth because “he’s a pastor, he’s a good guy, a Christian.”