Dan Crenshaw

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.[18] He announced his candidacy for Congress in November 2017.[19] Crenshaw credited national security analyst John Noonan for encouraging him to run for Congress.[20] During an interview in February 2018, he stated that border security and immigration reform would be two of his election issues.[21]

Crenshaw and Kevin Roberts advanced from the nine-candidate first-round of the Republican Party primary election to face each other in a second-round runoff election;[22] Crenshaw received 155 votes more than Kathaleen Wall,[23] a candidate who was backed by Senator Ted Cruz[24] and Governor Greg Abbott.[25] The lead-up to the runoff election was contentious.[26] A super PAC, funded by Roberts' brother-in-law, Mark Lanier, focused on Crenshaw's 2015 statements that were critical of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, despite Roberts having also been critical of President Trump in the past. The ads also compared Crenshaw's policy proposals to the likes of President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders.[27][28][29] 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.[30]

Crenshaw won the runoff to advance to the November general election.[31][32] In August, it was reported that Crenshaw and four other candidates for Congress were current or former administrators of a conservative Facebook group called "Tea Party" that advanced debunked conspiracy theories.[33] 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 investigating their backgrounds.[34] On November 6, Crenshaw was elected, defeating Democrat Todd Litton by a seven percent margin, 52.8% to 45.6%.[35][36]

Following the election, Crenshaw called for the de-politicization of comedy and sports and expressed a desire for political rhetoric to be toned down.[37]

On the November 3 episode of Saturday Night Live, comedian Pete Davidson joked about the appearances of multiple candidates in the 2018 midterm elections, 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,[38][39] and on the following episode, Davidson and Crenshaw appeared on air together. Davidson offered an apology, which Crenshaw accepted.[6][39] Crenshaw and others have speculated that the joke may have helped him win.[40][41]

• Committee on the Budget[42]
• Committee on Homeland Security[42]
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery[43]
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Management and Accountability (Ranking Member)[44]

Crenshaw favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), describing it as an "unmitigated disaster."[45] 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.[46] By 2019, Crenshaw had retreated from this position.[46]

On May 24, 2019, Crenshaw co-sponsored a bill to extend time limits for claims under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.[47][48][49]

Crenshaw with President Donald Trump in December 2019

Crenshaw voted against both articles of impeachment brought by the House of Representatives against President Trump in December 2019.[50]

In 2020, Crenshaw defended the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.[51][52] In a video retweeted by Trump, Crenshaw rebutted criticisms that the Trump administration had been slow in responding to the coronavirus.[51]

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 he alleges occurred in the 2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election.[53] PolitiFact rated Crenshaw's assertion concerning the North Carolina race "false," adding that "nothing in the bill that expands who can collect absentee ballots, allows people to fill out ballots for others, or loosens witnessing procedures for absentee ballots," which relate to the controversial election in North Carolina.[53][54]

In 2019, Crenshaw has 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. Regardless, we should continue pursuing new green energy solutions that lessen our impact on the environment and create cleaner air and water."[55] During his 2018 election campaign, Crenshaw's website made brief mention of global warming, applauding President Trump for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords.[56] Crenshaw described the agreement as "costly and meaningless." He went on to call the agreement virtue signaling and said it was not good policy.[56] He also stated that, "We must use our money to develop better infrastructure."[56] 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."[55]

During his 2018 election campaign, Crenshaw defended Trump's proposal to build a border wall on the Mexico–United States border.[57] In 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 his statement as "false," asserting that while it is true that between 20 to 30 percent of asylum requests per annum have been granted since 2009, some of the rejected applications may still hold legal merit.[58]

Crenshaw is pro-life.[59][60] Crenshaw believes that government should not be involved in regulating marriage and has expressed support for the legalization of same-sex marriage.[60][61] In 2015, he took issue with people trying to suggest Christianity is as shocking and as violent as Islam, saying that “the worst thing modern Christianity stands for is anti-homosexual marriage, which is a far cry from sex slaves, sharia law and beheadings.”[62][63]

In the case of Luna Younger, a then-7 year old who at 3 began to identify as a girl after previously being born a boy, and to who was the subject of a custodial battle between her father and mother in which the former was against and the latter in favor of her identification, Crenshaw opined in favor of the father. Following a decision by the judge to grant custody to the mother over the father, Crenshaw called it "heartbreaking" and added, "[a] 7-year-old can’t possibly make this decision or understand it. Parents should know better. I hope this father receives the public support he needs."[64]

Crenshaw opposes a ban on semi-automatic firearms.[57] In response to the shootings in Dayton and El Paso, Crenshaw suggested exploring red flag laws as a possible solution to gun violence.[65]

He opposes federal funding to "subsidize college in general," but supports it in cases of vocational training.[57]

Crenshaw supports cooperation with and support for the state of Israel.[7][66]

In 2019, Crenshaw co-sponsored a resolution opposing President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, saying that it would embolden the Turkish military's assault on the Kurdish forces.[67]

Crenshaw supported President Trump's decision in the killing of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani.[68][69]

Crenshaw, alongside Senator Tom Cotton, introduced a bill that would allow civil suits to be taken against foreign states in incidents related to injury or death. The legislation came in response to the coronavirus pandemic and calls for the Chinese government to be held accountable for "allow[ing] this virus to spread."[70]