Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s latest fundraising figures are burnishing the Texas Republican’s reputation as a prolific fundraiser.
Crenshaw, the two-term conservative congressman who served as a U.S. Navy SEAL in the War in Afghanistan and who lost his right eye in combat, brought in over $11 million in fundraising last year, including $2.1 million the past three months.
And Crenshaw, a well-known politician thanks to his regular cable news appearances who represents Texas’ Second Congressional District in the southeastern portion of the state, held a formidable $4.5 million cash on hand heading into the new year.
“This is the most important midterm election in recent memory. We have a critical opportunity to stop Joe Biden’s agenda in its tracks, fire Nancy Pelosi, and undo the damage done to our country under full Democrat control of Washington,” Crenshaw argued in a statement to Fox News.
With Republicans needing a net gain of just five seats in the 435-seat chamber to regain the House majority in November’s midterms, Crenshaw said that he would spend his fundraising dollars not only for his own reelection but “I will use these resources to help elect strong Republican candidates across the country who will give us a lasting majority in the House.”
As for Crenshaw’s own reelection, he’s running this year in a redrawn district. The once-in-a-decade redistricting process turned the seat into a more friendly Republican district, with competitive parts of the city of Houston replaced by deep red areas in surrounding Montgomery County north of the city.
Crenshaw will need to capture 50% of the vote in the March 1 primary against three Republican challengers to avoid a runoff election.
While Crenshaw offers his party’s base plenty of red meat, he’s at times taken stands not popular with some conservatives. In a well-publicized moment last summer, he dismissed a heckler who backed former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen.” And he recently criticized the conservative House Freedom Caucus, as well as freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Trump loyalist, and a fan favorite among Trump supporters.
Crenshaw’s large 2021 fundraising haul may also spark more 2024 speculation, as some pundits see the congressman as a potential contender in the next GOP presidential nomination race. A trip by Crenshaw to the first in the nation presidential primary state of New Hampshire last summer fed the frenzy.
But Crenshaw’s repeatedly poured cold water on such speculation, telling television station WMUR in New Hampshire “not anytime soon,” when asked during his trip about running for president.
