Steve Toth is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from The Woodlands area, an ordained pastor and small business owner. After a single term in 2013–2015 and unsuccessful runs for the Texas Senate and Congress, he returned to the House in 2019, and in March 2026 he defeated Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the Republican primary for Texas's 2nd District. His campaign website describes him as a conservative who will take that record to Washington.[1][2][3]
Toth was born in New York on November 29, 1960, and raised near Rochester, where he attended Pittsford Mendon High School and Rochester Bible College, according to Wikipedia.[3] He describes himself as an ordained pastor and small business owner. He owns the residential pool companies Acclaim Pools and My PoolXpert in The Woodlands, and his earlier sales, marketing and business development work included stints at Johnson & Johnson, Apple Orthodontix and Harris Interactive.[2][4][1] Toth was first elected to Texas House District 15 in 2012 after defeating five-term Republican incumbent Rob Eissler in the primary, and he served from January 2013 to January 2015.[3][4] He ran in the 2014 special election for Texas Senate District 4, finishing second to Brandon Creighton and losing the August 2014 runoff, 67% to 33%. In 2016 he challenged U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady in the Republican primary for Texas's 8th Congressional District and received 37.4% to Brady's 53.4%.[3]
Toth returned to Texas House District 15 in 2019 after the previous holder, Mark Keough, did not seek re-election. He has been re-elected since and is not running for re-election to the Texas House in 2026.[3][4] His Texas House biography describes him as a representative for South Montgomery County and says he has served on the House Appropriations Committee since 2019. His Ballotpedia profile lists committee assignments including Appropriations (every term from 2019 to 2024), Culture, Recreation and Tourism (2019–2020), Agriculture and Livestock (2021–2022) and Corrections (2023–2024).[5][4] His campaign website says he authored legislation banning Critical Race Theory and the social transitioning of children in Texas schools, and that he helped secure border security funding as a member of the Appropriations Committee.[2] Toth announced his campaign for Congress in July 2025 and defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw and two other candidates in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, 55.8% to 40.7% for Crenshaw.[3][1]
According to his Texas House biography, Toth and his wife, Babette, have lived in The Woodlands area for 26 years. His campaign website says they have been married for over 40 years and are parents and grandparents, and that they live in Montgomery County, Texas.[5][2][4]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
