Dan Crenshaw
Dan Crenshaw | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Ted Poe |
Personal details | |
Born | Daniel Reed Crenshaw March 14, 1984 Aberdeen, Scotland, UK |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Tara Blake (m. 2013) |
Education | Tufts University (BA) Harvard University (MPA) |
Website | House website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | |
Branch/service | |
Years of service | 2006–2016 |
Rank | |
Unit | |
Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan (WIA) |
Awards | |
Daniel Reed Crenshaw[1] (born March 14, 1984)[2] is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in the 2018 midterms.[3]
Early life and education
Born to American parents in Aberdeen, Scotland,[4] Crenshaw grew up in Katy, Texas.[5] His mother died of cancer when he was ten years old.[6] While his father worked in the oil industry, Crenshaw spent some time growing up in Ecuador and Colombia, gaining a proficiency in Spanish.[7] Crenshaw graduated from Colegio Nueva Granada high school in Bogota, Colombia in June 2002.[7]
Crenshaw graduated from Tufts University in 2006.[8] He earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in September 2017[9] and worked as a military legislative assistant for Congressman Pete Sessions.[8][10]
Military service
While at Tufts, he joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps and was commissioned in the U.S. Navy after his graduation.[11] He served in the Navy SEALs for ten years, including five tours of duty,[12] reaching the rank of lieutenant commander.[9] His first deployment was to Fallujah, Iraq, where he joined SEAL Team Three.[13] He was based out of Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California.[14]
While serving in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in 2012, during his third deployment, he was injured by the detonation of an improvised explosive device; he lost his right eye and required surgery to save the vision in his left eye.[15] After the injury, he was deployed to his fourth and fifth tours of duty in Bahrain and South Korea.[15] As a Navy SEAL, he earned two Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with valor. He medically retired from military service in 2016 as a Lieutenant Commander.[15]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018 special election
In the 2018 elections, Crenshaw ran for the United States House of Representatives in Texas's 2nd congressional district to succeed the retiring Ted Poe.[16] He announced his candidacy for Congress in November 2017.[17] Crenshaw credited national security analyst John Noonan for encouraging him to run for Congress.[18] During an interview in February 2018, he stated that border security and immigration reform would be two of his primary issues.[19]
Crenshaw and Kevin Roberts advanced from the nine-candidate first round of the Republican Party primary election to face each other in a runoff election;[20] Crenshaw received 155 votes more than Kathaleen Wall,[21] a candidate who was backed by Senator Ted Cruz[22] and Governor Greg Abbott.[23] The lead-up to the runoff election was contentious.[24] A super PAC, funded by Roberts' brother-in-law, Mark Lanier, focused on Crenshaw's 2015 statements that were critical of presidential candidate Donald Trump, despite his opponent being critical of Trump as president. The ads also compared Crenshaw's policy proposals to the likes of President Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders.[25][26][27] Gaining the endorsement of Senator Tom Cotton, Crenshaw received national attention, appearing in print and television, including on Laura Ingraham's show on Fox Business.[28]
Crenshaw won the runoff to advance to the November general election.[29][30] In August, it was reported that Crenshaw and four other candidates for Congress were current or former admininstrators of a conservative Facebook group called "Tea Party" that advanced debunked conspiracy theories.[31] Crenshaw responded that he was unaware of the group's content and that he had been made an administrator without his consent. Crenshaw responded that he had shared the same campaign content to many other local and national groups without prior investigating their backgrounds.[32][33] On November 6, Crenshaw was elected, defeating Democrat Todd Litton by seven percent 52.84% to 45.56%.[34][35]
Following the election, Crenshaw called for the de-politicization of comedy and sports and expressed a desire for political rhetoric to be toned down.[36]
On the November 3 episode of Saturday Night Live, comedian Pete Davidson joked about Republican candidates' appearances, and described Crenshaw as looking like a "hit man in a porno movie" while adding that he lost his eye in "war or whatever." The joke received significant criticism,[37][38] and on the following episode, Davidson and Crenshaw appeared on air together. Davidson offered an apology, which Crenshaw accepted.[6][38] Crenshaw and others have speculated that the joke may have helped him win.[39][40]
Tenure
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
·Congressional Soccer Match (Republican team)
Electoral History
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Kevin Roberts | 15,236 | 33.0 | |
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 12,644 | 27.4 | |
Republican | Kathaleen Wall | 12,499 | 27.1 | |
Republican | Rick Walker | 3,315 | 7.2 | |
Republican | Johnny Havens | 934 | 2.0 | |
Republican | Justin Lurie | 425 | 0.9 | |
Republican | Jon Spiers | 417 | 0.9 | |
Republican | David Balat | 348 | 0.8 | |
Republican | Malcolm Whittaker | 322 | 0.7 | |
Total votes | 46,140 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 20,322 | 69.9 | |
Republican | Kevin Roberts | 8,760 | 30.1 | |
Total votes | 29,082 | 100.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 139,188 | 52.8 | |
Democratic | Todd Litton | 119,992 | 45.6 | |
Libertarian | Patrick Gunnels | 2,373 | 0.9 | |
Independent | Scott Cubbler | 1,839 | 0.7 | |
Total votes | 263,392 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Political positions
During his 2018 election campaign, Crenshaw defended Trump's proposal to build a border wall on the Southern border.[46] During a May 2019 appearance on The View, Crenshaw claimed that 80-90% of asylum seeker requests "don't have a valid asylum claim". PolitiFact rated this as "false".[47]
Crenshaw favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), describing it as an "unmitigated disaster."[48] During his 2018 campaign, Crenshaw ran on a policy of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, becoming one of a handful of Republicans to endorse what was primarily a progressive idea.[49] However, by 2019, Crenshaw had retreated from this pledge.[49]
Crenshaw is anti-abortion.[50][51]
Crenshaw opposes a ban on assault weapons.[46]
He opposes federal funding to "subsidize college in general", but supports it in cases of vocational training.[46]
Crenshaw believes that government should not be involved in marriages.[51]
According to Business Insider, Crenshaw is among the members of Congress who have doubted or denied the scientific consensus on climate change.[52] In 2018, Crenshaw called for a debate on the causes of climate change, adding, "We can't start off the conversation saying the climate is settled. The right way to have this conversation is to actually listen to what the science says on both sides."[52] When asked by Business Insider in 2019, Crenshaw said that "climate change is occurring and that man-made emissions play a part in that. What isn't clear is how our actions will serve to reverse that warming trend, and what the cost-benefit outcome would be."[52] During his 2018 election campaign, Crenshaw's website made brief mention of climate change, applauding President Trump for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords.[53] Crenshaw described the Paris Agreement as "costly and meaningless."[53]
In 2019, Crenshaw voiced opposition to the For the People Act of 2019. Crenshaw said the bill would "limit free speech drastically". Crenshaw also stated that the bill would use taxpayer money to "legalize" the kind of electoral fraud that occurred in the 2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election.[54] PolitiFact rated Crenshaw's assertion concerning the North Carolina race "false".[54][55]
On May 24, 2019, Crenshaw co-sponsored a bill to permanently authorize the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, and allow claims to be filed until October 2089.[56][57][58]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 139,012 | 52.9% | |
Democratic | Todd Litton | 119,708 | 45.5% | |
Libertarian | Patrick Gunnels | 2,371 | 0.9% | |
Independent | Scott Cubbler | 1,833 | 0.7% | |
Total votes | 262,924 | 100.00% | ||
Turnout | 262,924 |
Primary results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 20,392 | 69.84 | |
Republican | Kevin Roberts | 8,808 | 30.16 | |
Total votes | 29,200 | 100.0% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Kevin Roberts | 15,236 | 33.02 | |
Republican | Dan Crenshaw | 12,644 | 27.40 | |
Republican | Kathaleen Wall | 12,499 | 27.09 | |
Republican | Rick Walker | 3,315 | 7.18 | |
Republican | Johnny Havens | 934 | 2.02 | |
Republican | Justin Lurie | 425 | 0.92 | |
Republican | Jon Spiers | 417 | 0.90 | |
Republican | David Balat | 348 | 0.75 | |
Republican | Malcolm Whittaker | 322 | 0.70 | |
Total votes | 46,140 | 100 |
Personal life
Crenshaw married Tara Blake in 2013.[6]
References
- ^ Harris County Republican Party Political Resumés
- ^ Perks, Ashley (November 15, 2018). "Texas New Members 2019". Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ "Combat Veterans For Congress – Electing Fiscal Conservatives". combatveteransforcongress.org. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Combat Veterans For Congress – Electing Fiscal Conservatives". Combat Veterans for Congress. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ Register, Matt (March 9, 2018). "Texas Politics: Spotlight on Issues". Texas Business Radio. Spring, Texas: RREA Media. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website=
(help) - ^ a b c Zak, Dan (November 11, 2018). "Dan Crenshaw started the week as a punchline and ended it as a star. The real story came before that". Washington Post. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Jervis, Rick (November 7, 2018). "Meet Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL and onetime Trump critic being called a GOP star". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "The Running Man". February 22, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "Navy SEAL With Glass Eye Envisions Winning US Congress Seat – OpsLens". January 20, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ Morago, Greg (May 25, 2018). "Is Houston's Dan Crenshaw the secret weapon for GOP with Millennials?". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "In our midst | In the Navy soon: Daniel Crenshaw will make the leap from Jumbo to SEAL". The Tufts Daily. February 27, 2006. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ https://www.click2houston.com/news/veterans-unite-texas-rep-dan-crenshaw-featured-in-patriotic-viral-tweet
- ^ Watkins, Matthew (November 4, 2018). "After SNL mocks his war injury, Texas congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw says he tries hard "not to be offended"". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Rogan, Tom (February 23, 2018). "Former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw and current GOP primary candidate in Texas is a true public servant". Washington Examiner. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c Diaz, Kevin (November 22, 2017). "Wounded Navy SEAL from Houston makes bid for Congress – Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ "A Texas Navy SEAL Who Lost His Eye Fighting in Afghanistan Is Now Running for Congress | Fox News Insider". Insider.foxnews.com. December 13, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Diaz, Kevin. "Wounded Navy SEAL from Houston Makes Bid for Congress". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Steinbuch, Yaron. "Wounded veteran brushes off Pete Davidson after election win". New York Post. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ Greg Groogan (February 25, 2018). "Dan Crenshaw candidate Republican primary Congressional District 2". KRIV. Houston. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Darling, Cary. "Battle lines drawn in battle to replace Ted Poe in Congress". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Britto, Brittany (July 9, 2018). "Price of losing Houston congressional race keeps climbing for Kathaleen Wall". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Wallace, Jeremy (February 7, 2018). "Here's who Ted Cruz is backing in key Houston congressional battle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Wallace, Jeremy (January 23, 2018). "Gov. Abbott picks Kathaleen Wall in Houston congressional race". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Livingston, Abby; Svitek, Patrick (May 18, 2018). "Republican runoff to replace U.S. Rep. Ted Poe turns tense amid mudslinging allegations". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Natalie (May 9, 2018). "Super PAC Whitewashes Former SEAL's Battle Wound in Attack Ad". Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Attack ads in Houston race being funded by brother-in-law's business". Houston Chronicle. May 17, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ "Who is Really Anti-Trump in the Race for Texas's 2nd Congressional District?". dylanglass.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Drusch, Andrea (May 15, 2018). "Crenshaw wants to lead conservative youth, if the GOP old guard will let him". McClatchy. Washington District of Columbia. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Wallace, Jeremy (May 23, 2018). "Crenshaw wins 2nd Congressional District runoff as Roberts concedes – Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
Livingston, Abby (May 22, 2018). "Dan Crenshaw, Chip Roy, Michael Cloud among Republican congressional runoff winners". The Eagle. Bryan, Texas. Retrieved November 7, 2018. - ^ a b "2018 Republican Party Primary Runoff (Harris County)". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Touchberry, Ramsey (August 31, 2018). "Five GOP candidates linked to a racist, far-right conspiracy Facebook group, later removed themselves from page". Newsweek. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Crenshaw, Dan (November 19, 2018). "I didn't elaborate because my quote was in the original story about this. A random Tea Party FB group made me an admin. Never once looked at the group (why would I?). My team tries to put our campaign videos out to all FB groups we are a part of". @DanCrenshawTX. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Fact Check: Was Dan Crenshaw Part Of A Nazi Facebook Group?". checkyourfact.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "Race Summary Report, 2018 General Election". State of Texas, Office of the Secretary of State. Austin, Texas. November 6, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Republicans can learn from Crenshaw voters in Houston's 2nd Congressional District". November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Samuels, Brett (November 7, 2018). "GOP rep-elect mocked by 'SNL': It would 'certainly help' if Trump toned down the rhetoric". The Hill. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ McCarthy, Tyler (November 4, 2018). "Pete Davidson mocks Republican Congressional candidate, former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in Afghanistan". Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b Obeidallah, Dean. "Dan Crenshaw and Pete Davidson's sincere plea for unity". Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Dan Crenshaw says being mocked by SNL helped him win". Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ "Did Pete Davidson's Bad Eye Patch Joke Help a Republican Win a Contested Seat?". November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ a b "Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives - Official Alphabetical List". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (116th Congress)". Committee on Homeland Security. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "Oversight, Management, and Accountability (116th Congress)". Committee on Homeland Security. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ a b "2018 Primary Election Official Results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ "Texas Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Scherer, Jasper (September 26, 2018). "Crenshaw, Litton debate shows distinct options for voters in 2nd Congressional District". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "Are the vast majority of asylum claims without merit?". @politifact. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
- ^ Garza, Erik De La (November 7, 2018). "Republicans Hold Onto Contested Texas Districts". Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "Two Republicans campaigned on bold drug price reforms, then backpedaled". STAT. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "Chris Evans praised for slamming 'absolutely unbelievable' Alabama abortion bill: 'Captain America for president'". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Crenshaw wants to lead conservative youth, if the GOP old guard will let him". McClatchy. 2019.
- ^ a b c Cranley, Ellen. "These are the 130 current members of Congress who have doubted or denied climate change". Business Insider. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "CONGRESS: Here's where incoming Republicans stand on climate". www.eenews.net. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Crenshaw wrong about HR1 'legalizing' NC-like election fraud". @politifact. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ Terry, Marshall. "Fact Check: False Statements Around 9th District Race; New Voter Bill". www.wfae.org. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Bills Cosponsored by Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas)". projects.propublica.org. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Wulfsohn, Joseph. Dan Crenshaw fact-checks NYT writer who wrongly accused him of not supporting 9/11 victims fund, FOX News, June 11, 2019.
- ^ Congress.gov Cosponsors: H.R.1327 Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act — 116th Congress (2019-2020), May 24, 2019.
- ^ "Texas Election Results: Second House District". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
External links
- Congressman Dan Crenshaw official House website
- Dan Crenshaw for Congress
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- SNL mocked my appearance. Here's why I didn't demand an apology. Opinion by Crenshaw in The Washington Post
- 1984 births
- Living people
- American naval personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- American naval personnel of the Iraq War
- Harvard University alumni
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- Military personnel from Texas
- People from Aberdeen
- People from Houston
- People from Katy, Texas
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Texas Republicans
- Tufts University alumni
- United States Navy officers
- United States Navy SEALs personnel