{"id":2471011,"date":"2025-08-05T11:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-republicans-eye-wesley-hunt-for-senate-amid-fears-paxton-cornyn-battle-doomed\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T11:42:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:42:24","slug":"texas-republicans-eye-wesley-hunt-for-senate-amid-fears-paxton-cornyn-battle-doomed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-republicans-eye-wesley-hunt-for-senate-amid-fears-paxton-cornyn-battle-doomed\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Republicans eye Wesley Hunt for Senate amid fears Paxton-Cornyn battle doomed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-republicans-eye-wesley-hunt-for-senate-amid-fears-paxton-cornyn-battle-doomed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2471011&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas Republicans are considering Rep. Wesley Hunt as a potential candidate to keep the state&#8217;s U.S. Senate seat firmly in Republican hands for the 2026 midterm elections. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn, who has held the seat for over 20 years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arrests-at-southern-border-reach-record-two-million\/\" title=\"Arrests at Southern Border Reach Record Two Million\">faces growing criticism<\/a> from conservatives who label him a &#8220;RINO&#8221; (Republican In Name Only). His primary challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, while leading in some polls, is seen as a risky choice for the party due to his controversial impeachment trial and potential difficulty in winning a general election against a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>Hunt, a relatively new congressman and Army veteran, is gaining attention because he lacks the controversial baggage of Cornyn and Paxton and may appeal to both the Republican base and moderates. Even though Hunt faces challenges such as low name recognition, GOP-affiliated groups have invested millions in advertising to boost his profile. Strategically, Hunt could force a runoff primary, splitting the vote to prevent Paxton from securing an outright win.<\/p>\n<p>The division between the conventional GOP faction represented by Cornyn and the more Trump-aligned faction represented by Paxton highlights a broader split in Texas Republican politics. Hunt is viewed by some as a unifying alternative able to bridge this gap. Meanwhile, Democrats see an opportunity to flip the seat, with prominent figures like Colin Allred and Beto O&#8217;Rourke considering runs. Former President Trump has not yet endorsed any candidate, keeping options open as the race develops.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Texas Republicans eye Wesley Hunt for Senate amid fears Paxton-Cornyn battle doomed<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2087288\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Some Republican operatives hope Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) is the candidate who could keep a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Texas<\/a> Senate seat red in the 2026 midterm elections, as Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">John Cornyn<\/a>&rsquo;s (R-TX) chances of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >winning reelection remain shaky<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While Cornyn has held the seat for over two decades, he has faced rising opposition from conservatives in recent years due to accusations that he&rsquo;s a Republican in name only, or &ldquo;RINO.&rdquo; Political operatives in the state have warned that neither Cornyn nor his primary challenger, longtime foe Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, will be able to keep the Senate seat red. Polling shows that while Paxton could best Cornyn in the primary, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3424258\/poll-paxton-cornyn-texas-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">could lose<\/a> to a Democrat in the general election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3490997\/ex-republican-tracy-hunt-launches-bid-challenge-brian-fitzpatrick-pennsylvania\/\">Ex-Republican Tracy Hunt launches bid to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania district Harris won<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3490706\/democrats-inspiration-republican-2010-playbook-redmap-redistricting\/\">Democrats take inspiration from Republicans&#8217; 2010 playbook to counter redistricting efforts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3490941\/greg-abbott-blue-state-gerrymandering-democrats-flee-texas\/\">Abbott says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abbott-says-blue-state-gerrymandering-distorted-us-politics-after-democrats-flee-texas-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Abbott says blue-state gerrymandering \u2018distorted\u2019 US politics after Democrats flee ... - Washington Examiner\">blue-state gerrymandering &#038;lsquo<\/a>;distorted&rsquo; US politics after Democrats flee Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Hunt has emerged in recent months as an alternative candidate without the political baggage that critics fear is following Cornyn and Paxton&rsquo;s campaigns. Hunt could make overtures to the GOP base and moderates he&rsquo;d need to pull off a win.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wesley Hunt wins a primary and he wins a general,&rdquo; an unaligned Republican operative who has worked on Senate campaigns in Texas and believes Hunt has a pathway to winning,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/08\/05\/texas-senate-wesley-hunt-gop-primary-cornyn-paxton-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> told <\/a>the <em>Texas Tribune<\/em>.  &ldquo;And frankly, it doesn&rsquo;t break the back of the Republican fundraising apparatus to get there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Proponents admit that Hunt, an Army veteran representing the Houston area in Texas&rsquo;s 38th Congressional District, has one key vulnerability: he has held office for under three years, meaning he lacks key name recognition.<\/p>\n<p>However, Republicans are fighting to remedy the problem.<\/p>\n<p>Groups affiliated with the Republican lawmaker have poured more than $3 million into advertising across the state to introduce Hunt to voters, according to the outlet. And while Hunt has held off entering the race for the time being, his campaign made a six-figure ad buy on the conservative cable channel Newsmax in the Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston areas earlier this month, signaling he&rsquo;s keeping his options open.<\/p>\n<p>While they have conceded he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-house-democrats-ask-wyoming-dems-to-vote-for-liz-cheney-in-primary\/\" title=\"Two House Democrats Ask Wyoming Dems To Vote For Liz Cheney In ...\">faces tough competition<\/a> in the primary due to voter unfamiliarity, half a dozen operatives said Hunt could strategize to siphon off enough votes to keep Paxton under 50% and finish second in the March primary, forcing a May runoff with the attorney general.<\/p>\n<p>The enthusiasm for Hunt in some Republican circles has stoked fears that Paxton and Cornyn have critical vulnerabilities that could lead to losing the Senate seat altogether, which would be devastating for the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>Paxton continues to face criticism after being acquitted of allegations of corruption and bribery following a highly publicized impeachment trial in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Cornyn has come under attack from conservatives in the state, including Paxton, for not holding to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;America First&rdquo; agenda. Paxton has characterized the four-term senator as an establishment swamp figure, portraying him as an&ldquo;anti-Trump, anti-gun&rdquo; candidate who has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1757377123902201873\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">failed<\/a> to put the United States ahead of other countries, a key component of the MAGA framework.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has yet to offer an endorsement to either candidate, signaling he could be weighing alternatives, even as Hunt, whom the president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3250544\/wesley-hunt-defense-secretary-short-list-hegseth-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">weighed nominating<\/a> as defense secretary, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3393730\/wesley-hunt-texas-senate-race-john-cornyn-trump-endorsement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">courted the White House <\/a>ahead of a possible bid.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is a question all Texans should be asking. Unbelievable that <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnCornyn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JohnCornyn<\/a> would stay up all night to defend other countries borders, but not America. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6w0QKcrMv9\">https:\/\/t.co\/6w0QKcrMv9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/1757377123902201873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I think Cornyn is probably suffering from what&rsquo;s a larger issue in Texas politics, which is the divide in the Republican Party between a more Trump-supporting version versus a more traditional, business version,&rdquo; Patrick Flavin, professor and interim chairman of political science at Baylor University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/john-cornyn-chances-losing-republican-primary-after-20-years-poll-2080595\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> <em>Newsweek. <\/em>&ldquo;Paxton and Cornyn perfectly characterize those two factions in the Republican Party.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If Paxton wins the primary, as the latest polls show he could, the fiery attorney general faces challenges winning the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-mitch-mcconnell-would-rather-lose-the-senate-than-his-leadership-status\/\" title=\"Yes, Mitch McConnell Would Rather Lose The Senate Than His Leadership Status\">general election due<\/a> to a &ldquo;significant chunk of independent-leaning Republicans&rdquo; who may be concerned about Paxton, Flavin added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3486440\/2026-texas-senate-ballots-limbo-lawmakers-weigh-bids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">TEXAS SENATE BALLOTS REMAIN IN LIMBO AS LAWMAKERS WEIGH BIDS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It would be a much closer race if Paxton is the nominee just because of the polarizing views that people have about him,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Given Paxton&rsquo;s vulnerabilities, Democrats believe they may have a chance to flip Cornyn&rsquo;s Senate seat blue after decades of GOP dominance. Colin Allred, an ex-congressman and former Biden official, launched his campaign earlier this month. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3476778\/beto-orourke-john-cornyn-texas-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Beto O&rsquo;Rourke<\/a>, another former Texas Democratic congressman, is also weighing a bid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2087288\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2087288\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas GOP considers Wesley Hunt for Senate amid Paxton-Cornyn concerns<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2471012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wesley-h.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[60670,34723,60669,32971],"class_list":["post-2471011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-paxton-cornyn-conflict","tag-senate-race","tag-texas-republicans","tag-wesley-hunt"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/wesley-h.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2471011"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2471019,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471011\/revisions\/2471019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2471012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2471011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2471011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2471011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}