RNC speakers: What to know about Rep. Dan Crenshaw
Crenshaw is one of the most prominent young voices in the GOP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, is one of the most prominent young voices in the Republican Party, owing to his storied military career and rise in Congress since being elected in 2018. Here is what you need to know about the former Navy SEAL, who is set to speak at the Republican Convention on Wednesday night.
Crenshaw, 36, is a sixth-generation Texan from the Houston area, according to his congressional website. He was involved in the Navy ROTC at Tufts University, from which he graduated in 2006 with a degree in international relations. After graduating, he immediately entered SEAL training, then was deployed to Iraq to join SEAL Team Three.
It was on his third deployment in 2012 that Crenshaw lost his right eye after he was hit by a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED). His left eye was also badly damaged and doctors initially did not believe he would ever see again. Crenshaw eventually regained his eyesight and went on two more deployments.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas (Dan Crenshaw)
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He said in a December 2018 Twitter post that he has a glass eye, but wears the eye patch in public because he’s noticed it’s distracting to people.
Crenshaw was medically retired as a lieutenant commander in 2016 and is recognized as a decorated veteran, with two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and a Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He then completed his master’s degree in public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government before being elected in November 2018 to represent Texas’s 2nd Congressional District.
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Just days before the election, comedian Pete Davidson mocked Crenshaw on “Saturday Night Live,” saying his eye patch made him look like a "hit man in a porno movie." Davidson was widely criticized for the joke, but on the next episode, Crenshaw appeared on the show and accepted Davidson’s apology on air.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican congressional candidate Dan Crenshaw, with his wife, Tara, addresses supporters during an Election Night victory party in Houston, May 22, 2018. (Associated Press)
Crenshaw married his wife, Tara, in 2013. They first met during Crenshaw's SEAL training in Coronado, Calif.
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Crenshaw told the Washington Examiner in 2019 that he thinks of himself as a "communicator above all else" and wants to make "conservatism cool again."