Billionaire singlehandedly ousts GOP lawmaker over old grudge: sources

A lone billionaire took down a Republican congressman over a years-long personal grudge, according to sources.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), once seen as a rising star in the GOP, became the first House incumbent to be ousted in the 2026 midterm election cycle, losing to hardline conservative state Rep. Steve Toth, and sources told Axios that a Donald Trump megadonor was "hellbent" on ending his legislative career.

"Texas banker Robert Marling's role in funding an anti-Crenshaw advertising blitz starkly illustrates how a lone billionaire can banish a member of Congress," Axios reported.

Marling poured $675,000 into the GOP primary – about two-thirds of the amount spent by a super PAC that opposed Crenshaw – and bankrolled an avalanche of TV ads and mailers that overwhelmed the southeastern Texas congressional district that a source said played a "massive" role in the lawmaker's defeat.

"Short of Robert's involvement, Dan would be re-elected," said another source.

The sources agreed there's been an ongoing feud between Crenshaw and Marling, but there's some dispute over its origins.

"Sources close to Marling say it started several years ago, when he invited Crenshaw to appear at an annual conservative youth summit," Axios reported. "Crenshaw said he would speak only if audience members wore masks, so the story goes, and Marling said no."

A person close to Crenshaw denied that account, and the congressman's team also denied the congressman told a person close to the billionaire that he wanted to put Marling's "head through a wall."

"A Crenshaw ally said the bad blood has to do with the peculiarities of Texas' 2nd District — specifically that Crenshaw represents the Harris County (Houston) portion of the district, and Marling resides in the Montgomery County portion, in Houston's northern suburbs," Axios reported. "This source said there's been a rivalry between the two counties, and that Marling wanted the district's representative to be from Montgomery County, which he found in Toth."

However, other sources say the billionaire simply didn't think Crenshaw was conservative enough.

Marling worked his connections, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), to get word to Trump to hold off on endorsing Crenshaw, which he never did, and he donated $200,000 in the last week of the primary campaign that paid for an ad featuring Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsing Toth.

"Cruz had several reasons for getting involved in the race, including his longstanding relationship with Marling," Axios reported. "Marling has been a donor to Cruz since 2011, and was a major backer of his 2016 presidential bid. Cruz attended the funeral of Marling's daughter in 2022."

A pair of conservative organizations bankrolled by Marling – Club for Growth and Turning Point USA – also contributed to the Cruz ad, and Crenshaw was ultimately crushed by Toth – 55 percent to 40 percent – and the billionaire celebrated Tuesday's results as he vacationed with his wife in the Caribbean.

"This is so great," he texted a friend.