The Texas Senate race is hotter than ever as Rep. Wesley Hunt refuses to back down despite intense pressure from Republican leaders. Hunt, a 44-year-old combat veteran and two-term House member, is determined to take on longtime Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a tense three-way primary showdown.
GOP leaders warn Hunt that his candidacy could cost the party tens of millions of dollars and throw the midterm map into chaos. But Hunt told CNN:
“If Senate leadership doesn’t like me being in this race, good. Senate leadership doesn’t pick leadership in Texas.”
He insists that Texans deserve an alternative, and he’s the only candidate who can win both the primary and general election without costing “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
💥 David vs. Goliath
Hunt describes this as a David-and-Goliath fight with Cornyn, who has held his seat since 2002. Hunt and Paxton are both MAGA loyalists courting Trump’s endorsement, though Trump is unlikely to make a decision soon.
If no candidate wins an outright majority in the March primary, the top two finishers would face off in a costly May runoff, giving Democrats a rare chance to pull off an upset in Texas—a state they haven’t won statewide since 1994.
💰 Money and Strategy at Stake
Cornyn-aligned groups have spent roughly $40 million of the $52.5 million total in the GOP primary so far, but many allies are frustrated that Hunt won’t step aside, arguing that money could be better spent defending battleground states like North Carolina or Michigan.
Hunt remains unfazed:
“I survived combat. 55 combat air missions in Baghdad. My political career—I’m still alive and well.”
⚡ A Rare Three-Way Showdown
While Hunt and Cornyn trade heavy blows, Paxton largely stays on the sidelines, spending just $1 million on ads compared to $3.5 million for Cornyn and $2.3 million for Hunt.
With Hunt in the race, Texas GOP faces a financial, political, and strategic storm, and all eyes are on the insurgent candidate shaking up the status quo.
