With overwhelming GOP majorities within the state legislature and congressional delegation, Texas Republicans haven’t any scarcity of up-and-coming political expertise.
However as longtime leaders hold in search of reelection to high posts, one formidable newcomer says the following era goes to need to cease ready its flip.
U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston), 44, had hoped to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who’s held one of many state’s two U.S. Senate seats since 2002 and at one level appeared headed towards retirement this election cycle.
As a substitute Cornyn began rallying for a fifth six-year time period to cease embattled Legal professional Common Ken Paxton from taking his place — inflicting nationwide occasion operatives to induce Hunt towards leaping into an costly three-way major.
Moderately than ready it out in his secure purple congressional district, nevertheless, Hunt joined the race anyway, and mentioned he hopes different younger candidates will observe his lead.
“It’s time for this subsequent era — individuals of their 30s, 40s, 50s — to understand that we want some turnover,” Hunt mentioned in a current interview. “Individuals on this nation don’t give their finest years to this trigger, and I’ve realized that it’s time for us to do it now.”
Most polls of the race present Hunt trailing his extra well-known opponents, however he says his inside numbers present he might simply finest a Democrat in a head-to-head basic election. The March 3 major is nearly sure to go to a runoff between the highest two vote-takers.
Hunt sat down with the San Antonio Report to speak about bucking occasion leaders, serving to President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington and what Republicans have to do to maintain Texas purple.
Texas Republicans have lengthy had massive hopes to your future. Some even say they created a congressional district particularly for you through the 2021 redistricting course of. However on this U.S. Senate race, nationwide occasion leaders requested you to not run, suggesting that an costly, three-way race would complicate their efforts to maintain the seat out of Democrats’ palms. Inform us why you’re doing it anyway.
One factor I all the time inform individuals is that the US Congress and the US Senate should not a retirement group.
This race can’t be a few blood feud between two males. It’s received to be concerning the individuals of Texas. It’s received to be about border safety. It’s received to be about our general safety. It’s received to be concerning the oil and fuel and vitality trade that makes this state — which is the eighth largest economic system in the whole world — run. So correct illustration for the industries which might be most vital [to Texas], and the problems which might be most germane to Texans, is why I’m operating.
Texas has no scarcity of up-and-coming Republican political expertise, however not a variety of upward mobility, since longtime incumbents hold operating for reelection to the state’s highest workplaces. In truth, Paxton’s transfer to the U.S. Senate race created the primary statewide place with out an incumbent on the poll in additional than a decade. Do you suppose the Republican Occasion is doing sufficient to develop its future expertise in Texas, or is the following era of formidable Republicans going to need to do what you’re doing?
You need to self-select at this level. And by the way in which, that goes for everybody on this nation. Lots of people which have my pedigree and my background don’t get into authorities, and that’s really why I’m doing it. This shouldn’t be a default job for individuals to only get reelected as a result of they’ll, or as a result of they suppose that is only a approach to sit up in D.C. for the following 20 years to gather a paycheck. I’m anyone that might be doing different issues, however I’m selecting to do that, and hopefully I can encourage others to do the identical.
You first ran for Congress, unsuccessfully, in a left-leaning district towards a Democratic incumbent. Then the districts have been redrawn and also you had powerful primaries. Most of our statewide officers haven’t confronted actual competitors in a major or a basic election in recent times. How vital is it for statewide candidates to have the ability to discuss to all types of voters in Texas?
Have in mind, President Trump simply received Texas by 14 factors, so Texas is fairly purple at this level. I’d argue Texas is fairly pro-Trump. Perhaps there are specific pockets of Texas that aren’t, however that’s the reason we’ve a constitutional republic and a democracy right here. We get to vote for that, and should you don’t prefer it, you’ll be able to vote towards it, however the majority wins, and nearly all of this state needs to see robust border safety. The vast majority of this state needs to see low regulation for the oil and fuel trade so we will prosper and flourish. The vast majority of this state needs to see free and honest elections. The vast majority of this state doesn’t wish to go to a fuel station [where] they’re going to get mugged. And should you stand for these issues, then the majority of the state will vote for you, particularly should you’re not scandal-ridden.
Since Trump returned to workplace, right here in San Antonio we hear a variety of concern from our native elected officers about federal cuts coming for Medicaid, Social Safety, SNAP and different social security net-type packages. They’re additionally involved about shedding Military North and Military South within the Trump administration’s department realignment. As a detailed ally of the president in D.C., how would you body his first yr again in workplace to San Antonians?
We’re reducing out Social Safety for unlawful immigrants, that’s a win for us. … In the event you’re over 65, no person’s taking away Social Safety. It’s not going to occur. In case you are disabled, no person is taking away your Social Safety.
I believe decreasing authorities bloat is admittedly vital for everyone. We’re operating at a $37 trillion deficit. That’s madness, and we will’t proceed to function like that. I’m one of many few politicians that has three younger kids, so I’m very involved about the way forward for this nation.
The best existential risk to this nation is our nationwide debt. We have now to make some very powerful choices. They’re not all the time going to be common. Persons are not going to love them, however I’m a fight veteran. I’m an Apache pilot. I’ve been shot at for a residing. So one factor I perceive is making powerful choices.
Nationwide Democrats are attempting to flip a 53-seat Republican majority within the U.S. Senate in 2026 and have their sights set on Texas, primarily as a result of they don’t have many different choices — senators serve staggered six-year phrases and the GOP incumbents up for reelection this cycle come from actually purple states.
In the meantime, nationwide Republicans are defending numerous seats up in 2026, and suppose that spending cash to assist Cornyn will save them from pouring assets right into a basic election subsequent November. How do you consider this race, when it comes to the affect that an extremely costly GOP major is having on the nationwide political panorama?
The explanation why I’m operating for Senate is to be sure that we’ve one of the best candidate for Texas within the basic election— the candidate that’s already successful the overall election [in polling] towards state Rep. James Talarico (D-Spherical Rock and former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) by 5 proportion factors.
It’s vital for us to have the fitting particular person to maintain Texas a purple state, as a result of it’s going to be very, very pivotal relying on how different states go all through the nation, particularly Maine, North Carolina, Michigan and Georgia.
[National Republicans] can’t afford to proceed to spend tens of tens of millions of {dollars} a month in a Republican major when we’ve different states to fret about. That’s why I’m operating, so we will cease hemorrhaging cash, get a superb candidate that may already win, so then we will care for enterprise in these different states.
Nationwide Republicans have been pouring cash into GOP Senate primaries for a number of cycles now to assist candidates they consider will have the ability to hold the seat in six years after they’re up for reelection, notably in states which might be altering. Do you suppose that you’ve got that type of broad attraction, if this state’s politics look completely different in six years?
That’s why I’m good for the job. I’m like 20 years under the common age within the Senate, which supplies a variety of attraction to lots of people. One in 3 Black males within the state of Texas voted for President Trump. If we might hold these numbers the place they’re at, with a candidate like me, nicely then I believe we’ll be good for now and for the following six years.
Some huge cash is being spent to assist Cornyn and Paxton, however you additionally obtained assist from exterior teams that spent roughly $6.5 million in your behalf earlier than you’d even joined the race. Who’s placing in that cash and why?
I received’t inform you who they’re, however they’re actually good, I’ll inform you that a lot. Probably the most tough factor to do, particularly being a Home member, is to run statewide, as a result of your identify ID is excellent within the district that you just stay in, however Texas is very large.
Most individuals don’t know who you might be exterior of the district that you just run in, so we’ve some associates that actually believed in us, that have been in a position to assist us out, as a approach to construct my identify ID with out formally getting within the race.
That method if we received to some extent the place we realized {that a} 24-year incumbent was polling at 33% after spending $30 million, and it’s time for an alternate, then we’ve set ourselves up. In order that if we get to [a point where] the White Home seems at and it goes, nicely, who’re the highest guys? Nicely, it’s me, Ken Paxton and John Cornyn, as a result of we labored for the previous 9 months to boost my identify ID.
