U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, was defeated and four other incumbents — Democrats and Republicans — found themselves in close races or runoffs as votes were still being counted early Wednesday.

The first round of primary elections shows this year’s midterm elections will be taking place on shifting political ground for incumbents.

Steve Toth, one of the most conservative members of the Texas House, framed his challenge of Dan Crenshaw as a referendum on the ideological future of the Republican Party.

In a story published Mar.

Crenshaw, fighting to remain in his Houston-area congressional seat, has drawn criticism from right-wing media and a challenge from Toth, among the most conservative members of the Texas House.

State Rep. Brian Harrison has been on a crusade against Texas universities, scouring course catalogs and university websites for examples of “gender ideology” or LGBTQ+ curriculum, and riling up his X followers about “liberal indoctrination” on campuses.

Election administrators say letting people cast a ballot at any polling site is more convenient for voters and cheaper for local governments.

The censured members said they had been punished for campaigning against “liberal incumbents” alongside statewide elected officials like Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Phelan’s primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Party’s business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues.

Here’s a look at House members, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on their votes cast during the 2023 regular session and four special sessions.

Two other Republican lawmakers are giving away donations after Nick Fuentes was seen visiting the office building associated with Defend Texas Liberty PAC President Jonathan Stickland. The meeting has roiled the party, leading to many Republicans calling on their peers to return money from the PAC.

On the day the House impeached Ken Paxton, Smithee delivered a 20 minute speech, criticizing the impeachment process as opaque, rushed and unfair to the accused.

Texas public schools can allow corporal punishment, which includes hitting, spanking, paddling or deliberately inflicting physical pain to discipline students.

Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth, who are usually ideologically aligned with Slaton, said the lawmaker needed to step down.

Patrick has made no qualms in the past about bending arms or using public pressure to get other state officials — including Gov. Greg Abbott — to go along with his plans.

Republicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows.

The legislation closely mirrors a Florida bill passed last year, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which detractors say would further isolate LGBTQ students and open teachers and school districts to legal risks.

The board was initially supposed to update the social studies curriculum by the end of the year.

State leaders say expanding a social safety net for children and prosecuting abortion funders are among their priorities. “We’ll continue to do our best to make abortion not just outlawed, but unthinkable,” said state Rep. Briscoe Cain.

Conservative lawmakers denounce critical race theory and say it facilitates racism. Some teachers say it actually informs their efforts to counter racism in the curriculum and classroom, even though they don't teach it directly to students.

One of the Republican authors of the so-called critical race theory bill said the district is misinterpreting the new law’s ban on political activism. A school official called the language “vague.”

Educators who spoke to The Texas Tribune overwhelmingly denounced the new social studies law going into effect Sept. 1. These are the provisions they say could cause problems for them — and Texas students.

Republican Texas lawmakers have justified their efforts to limit how racism and current events are taught in school by saying that critical race theory judges people by the color of their skin. Martin Luther King III and experts disagree.

The bill would also remove a requirement to teach that white supremacy is "morally wrong." One Democratic lawmaker said the bill’s attempts could lead to a “frightening dystopian future.”

Texas educators worried the bill would have a chilling effect on tough conversations about race and racism. GOP lawmakers said they wanted to ensure teachers' personal biases stay out of their lessons

What’s unusual is to see so many prominent Republican names on the top of a lawsuit against the Republican governor of Texas this close to an election. What’s happening in Texas illustrates how the pandemic, the economy and other issues have shaken political norms. State Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, has disowned Abbott, saying he can no longer follow the GOP’s leading state official. In a normal presidential election year, a Texas governor who isn’t on the ballot would be leading the partisan charge, helping lesser and greater figures rally their voters in the state. Abbott isn’t ignoring the political fights of the season.

Greg Abbott meets with local El Paso leaders to discuss the coronavirus situation for the city and state on Aug. 13, 2020, in El Paso. Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The TexaState Rep. Steve Toth, a Republican from The Woodlands, has withdrawn his support of Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing the GOP leader has "betrayed the trust of conservative Texans" over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. "What has become clear that you have no plan for how and when to end this nightmare," Toth wrote. "Stop using polling data to shape your response instead of using the ample downwared data on hospitalizations and new infections."