Rep. Wesley Hunt praised in statewide ads as Cornyn kicks off reelection campaign

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt is getting help spreading his name around the state as talk circulates of a potential Senate run by the Houston Republican.

A social welfare organization dubbed Standing for Texas will unveil a seven-figure ad buy this week praising Hunt for his work supporting President Donald Trump’s agenda. The ad will air in the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock markets to start — far from his home base in Houston — and will hit cable, streaming and broadcast.

The group is an independent organization that is not part of the Hunt campaign.

Standing for Texas’ ads fete Hunt as a “combat veteran, West Point graduate and proud Texan. A fearless America-first Republican who stands with President Trump to put Texas first.” The ad encourages viewers to call Hunt and “thank him for putting Texas first,” while listing the phone number for his Washington office.

Hunt said in a statement to the Tribune that he was “humbled” by the ads, adding it is “no surprise that many Texas conservatives are frustrated with the status quo.” He boasted of his work on pro-oil and gas legislation under President Joe Biden and directing over $75 million in federal funds to his district.

“Texans recognize that a focused, principled Representative can achieve far more for the people than most Senators ever will,” Hunt said. “This role isn’t about chasing status — it’s about delivering results. And when you use this office as a weapon for the people, not a tool for personal gain, you don’t just make noise. You make history.”

Sen. John Cornyn is up for reelection this cycle, and he is facing a challenging primary terrain. This will be Cornyn’s first reelection after he pushed through a bipartisan gun safety bill that prompted Texas Republicans to jeer him as capitulating on gun control. Cornyn released a video Wednesday formally launching his reelection campaign, leaning heavily into his time as Republican whip during the first Trump presidency. Cornyn voted with Trump’s legislative agenda more than 92% of the time during Trump’s first term, and supported every Trump appointee.

“In President Trump’s first term, I was Republican whip, delivering the votes for his biggest wins,” Cornyn said. “Now I’m running for reelection and asking for your support so President Trump and I can pick up where we left off.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has repeatedly telegraphed that he is interested in a primary run against Cornyn, saying the four-term senator has lost the confidence of the Republican base. Cornyn has some of the lowest approval ratings with Republican-identifying voters among statewide Republicans in Texas. Cornyn retorts that he has faced primary challenges in the past and is confident he can win reelection next year.

“There’s a reason why I’ve been elected by large margins every time I’ve run for office. And that’s because the 31 million people in Texas know me,” Cornyn told KSAT this month. “I’m not particularly concerned about that. If the time comes that this gentleman or anybody else decides to run, we’ll be ready for that and we’ll take our case to the voters.”

Hunt is a second-term congressman who has close ties with Trump. He campaigned on Trump’s behalf during last year’s presidential election, leading outreach to Black men. Hunt was the first Texan to speak on the Republican National Convention main stage.

His name has come up repeatedly in Republican circles as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate. Hunt has not made any announcements that he would run. But he has made moves to increase his name ID outside of his Houston base.

Hellfire PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Hunt, started running statewide ads on talk radio earlier this month introducing Hunt, The Houston Chronicle reported at the time.

“I’m Wesley Hunt, and I’m calling on all Texans to continue supporting our great president,” Hunt says in the radio ads.

Paxton enjoys considerably higher name recognition in the state, having already won three elections for Texas attorney general.

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, also made moves to increase his name ID outside of his Panhandle district. In 2022, he launched TV spots targeting Latino voters around the state.

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