U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw , the Texas Republican who helped lead congressional efforts targeting transgender people’s health care , lost his party’s primary Tuesday, putting an expiration date on the career of one of Congress’s most outspoken critics of gender-affirming care. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ + news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter. Steve Toth defeated Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas’s 2nd Congressional District, a race that drew national attention as part of a slate of closely watched Texas contests in the opening stage of the 2026 midterm cycle. The Associated Press declared the winner at 1 a.m Eastern with 72 percent of votes in. Roth had secured 57.3 percent of the votes to Crenshaw's 39.3 percent. First elected in 2018, the former Navy SEAL rose quickly within the GOP , becoming a conservative media fixture and a vocal culture war combatant. Related : Republican Dan Crenshaw Says Gender-Affirming Care Is ‘The Hill We Will Die On’ Related : Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw squirms as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins confronts his shifts on trans military members In 2025, the House passed legislation backed by Crenshaw that would prohibit Medicaid funds from covering gender-affirming care for minors. The proposal sought to amend the Social Security Act to block federal funding for treatments such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries intended to help transgender youth transition. Crenshaw also successfully advanced what became known as the “Crenshaw Amendment,” a provision that would bar federal programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Affordable Care Act subsidies, from paying for gender-affirming medical care for minors. The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the proposal as part of a broader wave of legislation seeking to criminalize or restrict care across the country. Crenshaw defended the legislation as a measure to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for what he described as controversial treatments. His defeat comes as Republican primaries in Texas have become increasingly volatile, with internal ideological fights and redistricting reshaping several races. Toth, a businessman, ordained minister, and Texas House member representing the suburban Houston area since 2019, campaigned as a more hardline conservative and aligned himself with the party’s MAGA wing. He has also backed legislation in Texas aimed at limiting gender-affirming care and social transitioning for minors. Toth now advances to the general election in November.