Proposed new congressional seat in Houston gets prominent GOP candidate

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

One of Texas' new congressional seats received a prominent Republican candidate Tuesday as Army combat veteran Wesley Hunt announced his plan to run for the 38th Congressional District.

The announcement by Hunt, who ran a close congressional race last year in the same area, came a day after state lawmakers unveiled a proposed new congressional map that places one of the state's new seats in the Austin area and the other in the Houston area. The district drawn in the Austin area, the 37th, is overwhelmingly Democratic, while the one drawn in the Houston area, the 38th, is solidly Republican.

Hunt had made known for months that he planned to run for Congress again in the Houston area, with the exact district pending redistricting.

"I am extremely proud to announce my intention to run for Congress in Texas' new 38th Congressional District," Hunt said in a statement. "Together with my family, my team, and with the support of patriots across the country and right here at home, we will complete the mission I first embarked on in 2019."

Hunt was one of the GOP's top recruits nationally during the last election cycle when he challenged U.S. Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, D-Houston, finishing 3 percentage points behind her. He received the endorsement of President Donald Trump during that race's primary.

Under the proposed new map, Fletcher's district becomes far less competitive for Republicans, turning it into a district that President Joe Biden would have carried last year by 30 points. As currently proposed, the new 38th Congressional District is one that Trump would have won by 18 points last year. It stretches northwest from the west side of Houston to the city's far suburbs, reaching Tomball.

The 2021 Texas Tribune Festival, the weeklong celebration of politics and policy featuring big names and bold ideas, wrapped on Sept. 25, but there’s still time to tune in. Explore dozens of free, on-demand events before midnight Thursday, Sept. 30, at tribfest.org.