Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) said he’s not worried about ruffling feathers with his Senate primary bid, even as his decision to jump into the already intense race against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton draws eye rolls and sharp criticism from fellow Republicans.
Hunt, first elected in 2022, is a West Point graduate from a military family who is touting his military experience as a key credential in the race.
The 43-year-old lawmaker is also touting his youth and ties to President Donald Trump, arguing he can win the primary and general election. He contrasts himself with Paxton, 62, whose controversies pose risks next November, and Cornyn, 73, who faces conservative attacks that he isn’t MAGA enough. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023, though he was acquitted by the state Senate, and faces a long-standing securities fraud indictment, problems that Republicans fear could hurt him in a general election.
“I don’t work for my colleagues in the House of Representatives. I work for the people of Texas,” Hunt said in an interview. “I have some longevity here to carry on the ‘America First’ mantle that can win the primary and win the general election, without it costing us hundreds of millions of dollars. I’m a combat veteran and West Point grad who served this country.”
His GOP colleagues and several political operatives seemed baffled by his entry, with some fearing it would cause a pricey runoff. Others hit Hunt for missing votes.
“He never goes to hearings. Misses tons of votes. And his ego is so self-inflated that this will actually be a surprise to him when his congressional career is over and he doesn’t win,” a Republican lawmaker complained, adding, “Texas big donors are furious. He’s costing them more money now because they’re dug in on Cornyn.”
One political operative laid out several ways Hunt shaking up the race could hurt the GOP. “The net effect of his decision is it will increase the likelihood we have a primary runoff, which will delay the ability of the party to unify behind the nominee. So that’s consequence one,” the operative told the Washington Examiner. “It obviously consumes a significant amount of resources in that primary runoff that could be spent in the general election, helping Republicans downballot and in other states where we’re fighting a really narrow battle to try to hold the Senate majority.”
The operative also criticized Hunt’s voting record: “Wesley’s track record of voting in the House is horrendous. You have a three-seat majority. It’d be nice if the people who are in the majority would show up and do the job that they’ve asked the voters to give them.”
But despite the pushback, Hunt asserted he isn’t worried about his current colleagues’ opinions on the matter, arguing he believes he is the best man for the job and feels the upper chamber needs some fresh blood.
“The United States Senate is not a retirement community — John Cornyn is polling extraordinarily badly for a 24-year incumbent. He cannot win the primary election, and as we now see … Ken can’t win the general election,” Hunt said.
Sources close to Hunt pointed to polling showing that he performs better than his rivals in general election matchups. A University of Houston-Texas Southern University poll conducted from Sept. 19 through Oct. 1 showed Hunt leading former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred 55% to 45%, while Cornyn led 48% to 46% and Paxton 48% to 47%. Against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, Hunt led 50% to 44%, compared to Cornyn’s 48% to 45% advantage and Paxton’s 49% to 46% edge. The same poll showed Paxton leading the Republican primary field with 34%, Cornyn at 33%, Hunt at 22%, and 11% undecided.
Hunt brushed off attacks on his voting record, stating that it isn’t about the “votes he has missed” as much as “the votes he’s taken.” He cited having young children and traveling to stump for the president as his reasons for missing 18% of votes since he first took office in 2023.
“John Cornyn has never seen a Ukraine funding bill he didn’t like; John Cornyn has never seen an omnibus or a [continuing resolution] for the last 20 years that he didn’t like. And yes, I may have missed some votes for reasons, like my child was in the [neonatal intensive care unit]. I have a 6-, 4-, and 2-year-old at my home, and I want them to know who their father is. And being family first is most important to Texans,” he said. “But also, the last two years, I was campaigning heavily with the president. I missed some votes because I was one of his top surrogates — I went to Iowa 11 times, traveled with him to Chicago, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. I felt like this was the most consequential election that we have seen in the history of this country. Texans care far more about the votes that I’ve taken than the votes that I’ve missed.”
Hunt’s critics noted that other lawmakers have similar family situations.
“Trump didn’t need you to campaign for him. Give me a break,” another Republican said.
Before Hunt’s entry, the race between Cornyn, a longtime senator facing conservative pushback over past Trump disagreements, and Paxton, whose controversies and ongoing divorce worry party officials, had drawn national media attention. In June, polling showed Cornyn trailing Paxton by 22 points, but Cornyn has since managed to close the gap by a significant margin, with an Aug. 15 poll conducted by Emerson College Polling showing the two in a dead heat.
Hunt has repeatedly argued that the Lone Star State doesn’t need a “blood feud” between Cornyn and Paxton, dismissing the notion that his entrance into the race will start a three-way circular firing squad.
Hunt called Paxton an “America First kind of guy” while slamming Cornyn for co-authoring a 2022 bipartisan gun safety bill. “He co-authored gun control in Texas, said it was time to move on from President Trump, and only endorsed him after he got shot,” Hunt said, vowing to unwind the legislation if elected.
Cornyn allies have dismissed accusations that he isn’t aligned enough with Trump, with senior adviser Matt Mackowiak stating, “Sen. John Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time during Trump’s time in the White House, successfully delivering major wins for Texas. We are going to win this race.”
Others noted that Chris LaCivita, one of Trump’s 2024 campaign managers, is running Cornyn’s super PAC, and Trump ally Tony Fabrizio is doing his polling, with supporters arguing they wouldn’t align themselves with Cornyn if they felt he was working against the president’s agenda.
”Sad — but he’ll do a good job of splitting up the vote — and increase his name ID for a future run as Land Commissioner,” LaCivita posted on X upon Hunt’s announcement.
Hunt’s detractors noted he lacks Trump’s endorsement despite extensive campaign work. Hunt shrugged off this attack.
“[LaCivita’s] client has been begging for an endorsement since January and hasn’t gotten it. … I am not running because I don’t have Trump’s endorsement. I am running because I want to earn President Trump’s endorsement like everyone else has to,” Hunt said. “But most importantly, I want to earn the vote of the primary voter in Texas.”
The Paxton camp was also quick to dismiss Hunt’s bid, with Paxton adviser Nick Maddux saying in a statement: “We welcome Wesley Hunt to the race. Primaries are good for our party and our voters, and Wesley and General Paxton both know that Texans deserve better than the failed, anti-Trump record of John Cornyn.”
LIBERAL FIREBRAND JASMINE CROCKETT FLOATS BID IN CROWDED TEXAS SENATE RACE
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. While that is bigger than their margin of error in the House, GOP leaders don’t want to be forced to defend what ought to be safe seats in a competitive midterm election.
The primary is scheduled for March 3. A runoff, if needed, would be held on May 26.
Juliegrace Brufke is a longtime Capitol Hill reporter.