Outgoing Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw says a wave of online misinformation played a major role in his unexpected defeat in the March 3 Republican primary, where he lost by a wide margin to state Rep. Steve Toth.
Crenshaw, a four-term Republican representing the Houston suburbs, addressed the loss during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” where host Margaret Brennan pressed him to explain comments he made after the election blaming misinformation for the outcome.
Toth, who ran to Crenshaw’s right politically, defeated the incumbent by roughly 15 percentage points in what many observers described as a stunning upset. Prior to election night, most polling and betting markets had predicted a comfortable victory for Crenshaw.
Asked what lessons other Republicans should draw from the result, Crenshaw suggested the race demonstrated the growing influence of viral claims and rumors circulating online.
“Well, I mean,” Crenshaw said with a brief laugh, “I’m a unique Republican.”
He argued that his campaign had long faced what he described as conspiracy theories and smear campaigns spreading across social media and political commentary platforms.
“You know, I’ve been the target of online smears and conspiracies for a very long time,” Crenshaw said. “My election was basically a product of that.”
Crenshaw pointed to the dynamics of primary elections, noting that turnout is often relatively low compared with general elections. According to him, that environment can amplify the influence of controversial narratives circulating online.
“You have about 20% of Republican voters bothering to even vote in a primary,” he said. “And then you have dozens of online smears and conspiracies that people were going into the voting booth actually believing.”
Among the allegations he referenced were claims about insider trading and personal wealth, which he said had repeatedly been debunked but continued to spread.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we thought we had debunked that,” Crenshaw said. “People still went in believing it.”
The congressman also suggested that outside political spending contributed to the negative messaging about him. According to Crenshaw, Democratic groups spent nearly $1 million on advertising that echoed criticisms circulating online.
“So Republican voters are going to the voting booth believing what a Democrat told them on TV based on a smear headline written by a liberal reporter in D.C.,” he said.
Democratic organizations have occasionally spent money in Republican primaries in past election cycles in an effort to influence which candidates advance to general elections. However, Crenshaw’s district is widely considered a safe Republican seat. Under newly drawn district lines, the area voted for President Donald Trump by roughly 23 percentage points in the 2024 election, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App.
Crenshaw concluded by arguing that the responsibility for filtering information ultimately lies with voters themselves.
“That’s the lesson,” he said. “And it’s not just for Republican politicians. It’s the lesson for Republican voters.”
The race also unfolded amid tensions between Crenshaw and figures aligned with the populist wing of the Republican Party. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Toth in October 2025, during which both men criticized Crenshaw for what they described as insufficient alignment with the America First movement.
During the interview, they also criticized Crenshaw’s positions on immigration policy and his support for a strong U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Carlson additionally referenced questions surrounding Crenshaw’s stock trading.
Earlier in 2025, a video surfaced in which Crenshaw appeared to say he would “kill” Carlson if the two met in person, a comment widely interpreted as hyperbolic but which generated significant online backlash.
When asked about the controversy months later, Carlson dismissed the remark while offering a pointed critique of the congressman.
“I don’t think Dan Crenshaw is the worst person in the world or anything like that,” Carlson said. “I feel sorry for Dan Crenshaw. He’s clearly a very troubled guy.”
