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Rep. Wesley Hunt Enters Texas Senate Race, Angering Top Republicans

Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) on Monday announced his bid for the U.S. Senate in Texas, defying top Republicans and shaking up the bitter GOP primary between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton.

“The U.S. Senate race in Texas must be about more than a petty feud between two men who have spent months trading barbs,” Hunt said in a statement. “With my candidacy, this race will finally be about what’s most important: Texas.”

The 43-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Houston is a close ally of President Donald Trump. His decision to give up his House seat after just two terms to run for Senate drew sharp criticism from Republicans in Washington and Cornyn’s reelection campaign, which has been busy fending off a tough challenge from Paxton.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, prepares to speak in Fiserv Forum on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Matt Mackowiak, a senior adviser to Cornyn, called Hunt “a legend in his own mind.”

“No one is happier this morning than the national Democrats who are watching Wesley continue his quixotic quest for relevancy, costing tens of millions of dollars that will endanger the Trump agenda from being passed,” he added in a statement.

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The National Republican Senatorial Committee, whose job it is to support GOP incumbents, also whacked Hunt on Monday, suggesting that it won’t go easy on him.

“Now that Wesley has chosen personal ambition over holding President Trump’s House Majority there will be a full vetting of his record,” NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement. “Senator Cornyn’s conservative record of accomplishment stands tall against Wesley’s.”

Republicans have good reasons to be concerned by Hunt’s entry into the race. Cornyn’s campaign made substantial progress against Paxton’s campaign in recent months, eroding what was initially a large Paxton lead over Cornyn in the polls after the Texas attorney general was hit by several scandals involving his personal life.

But now, things could get more unpredictable. Polls have shown Hunt pulling support from both Cornyn, the 73-year-old incumbent senator whose public standing hasn’t been great in Texas, as well as Paxton, who has been accused of at least one extramarital affair. One recent poll found Hunt beating either candidate in a head-to-head matchup. Another poll last month found Cornyn barely on top in a hypothetical three-way patchup.

Democrats also have a competitive primary brewing in the Texas Senate race. Former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), a former NFL player who was the party’s Senate nominee last cycle, is taking on Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico.