Wesley Parish Hunt (born November 13, 1981)[1] is an American politician and veteran serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 38th congressional district since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Wesley Hunt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 38th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wesley Parish Hunt November 13, 1981 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Emily Hunt |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Cornell University (MBA, MPA, MA) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2004–2012 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Aviation Branch |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Early life and education
editHunt was born and raised in Houston to a military family. After graduating from St. John's School, he attended the United States Military Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science in leadership and management with mechanical engineering in 2004.[2] His West Point class of 2004 classmates include U.S. representatives John James and Pat Ryan.[3]
Hunt was commissioned into the U.S. Army in 2004[4] and flew Apache helicopters in the military.[5] He was deployed once to Iraq and was deployed twice to Saudi Arabia as a diplomatic liaison officer.[4] He left the army at the rank of captain in 2012.[4]
After being honorably discharged, he attended Cornell University and obtained a Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration,[6] and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2020
editHunt ran for Texas's 7th congressional district in the 2020 elections. In a field of six candidates, Hunt won the Republican primary election with 61% of the vote.[8] He lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Lizzie Fletcher.[9] Hunt conceded to Fletcher a day after the election.[9]
2022
editA day after redistricted maps were revealed, Hunt announced his intention to run in the new, solidly Republican 38th district.[10] Andrew Schneider of Houston Public Media wrote that "state GOP lawmakers carved out a new district, Texas' 38th, specifically with [Hunt] in mind." Hunt faced nine opponents in the primary election and received over 55% of the vote.[11] He was endorsed by Republican Main Street Partnership PAC[12] He defeated the Democratic nominee, Duncan Klussmann, in the November 8 general election, 63% to 35%.[13]
Tenure
editIn January 2023, at the beginning of the 118th U.S. Congress, Hunt supported Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.[14] Hunt is on the House Judiciary,[15] Natural Resources[16] and Small Business[16] Committees. On the Small Business Committee he chairs the Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains[17]
Hunt has endorsed Donald Trump's campaign in the 2024 presidential election.[18]
Syria
editIn 2023, Hunt was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[19][20]
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
editHunt was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[21]
Personal life
editAround the time of his arrival in Congress, Hunt's wife, Emily, gave birth to a son, Willie, who was born prematurely and needed time in the neonatal intensive care unit, forcing Hunt to leave the Speaker of the House election on its fourth day, missing the 12th and 13th ballots before returning the same day.[14]
Hunt is a Baptist. He attended Champion Forest Baptist Church, which he has said shaped his beliefs.[22]
Electoral history
edit2020
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Wesley Hunt | 28,060 | 61.0 | |
| Republican | Cindy Siegel | 12,497 | 27.2 | |
| Republican | Maria Espinoza | 2,716 | 5.9 | |
| Republican | Kyle Preston | 1,363 | 3.0 | |
| Republican | Jim Noteware | 937 | 2.0 | |
| Republican | Laique Rehman | 424 | 0.9 | |
| Total votes | 45,997 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lizzie Fletcher (incumbent) | 159,529 | 50.8 | |
| Republican | Wesley Hunt | 149,054 | 47.4 | |
| Libertarian | Shawn Kelly | 5,542 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 314,125 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2022
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Wesley Hunt | 35,291 | 55.3% | |
| Republican | Mark Ramsey | 19,352 | 30.3% | |
| Republican | David Hogan | 3,125 | 4.9% | |
| Republican | Ronald Lopez | 2,048 | 3.2% | |
| Republican | Brett Guillroy | 1,416 | 2.2% | |
| Republican | Jerry Ford, Sr. | 997 | 1.6% | |
| Republican | Richard Welch | 633 | 1.0% | |
| Republican | Alex Cross | 460 | 0.7% | |
| Republican | Damien Mockus | 249 | 0.4% | |
| Republican | Philip Covarrubias | 228 | 0.4% | |
| Total votes | 63,799 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Wesley Hunt | 162,992 | 63.00 | ||
| Democratic | Duncan Klussmann | 91,768 | 35.47 | ||
| Independent | Joel Dejean | 3,953 | 1.53 | ||
| Total votes | 258,713 | 100 | |||
| Republican win (new seat) | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Candidate Conversation - Wesley Hunt (R)". Inside Elections. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ "Meet Wesley". Wesley Hunt. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "Bipartisan band of brothers: The West Point grads coming to Congress". POLITICO. November 26, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c Alexander, Otis (February 10, 2023). "Wesley Parish Hunt (1981-) •". Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Wesley Hunt's Advice for the Republican Party: Update Your Look - The New York Times". The New York Times. May 19, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Seven Cornellians Set to Serve in 118th Congress". November 30, 2001.
- ^ "Cornell Alumnus Wesley Hunt Campaigns for Upcoming Texas Congressional Election". November 30, 2001.
- ^ "Wesley Hunt Wins GOP Congressional Primary in Rout, Will Face Rep. Fletcher in November". The Texan. March 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Carter, Lisa (November 3, 2020). "Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher wins reelection for Texas' District 7; Wesley Hunt concedes". KHOU. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ Svitek, Patrick (September 28, 2021). "Proposed new congressional seat in Houston gets prominent GOP candidate". Texas Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ Schneider, Andrew (March 2, 2022). "Wesley Hunt wins the GOP nomination in Houston's newest congressional district". Houston Public Media. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Candidates". RMSP PAC. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Republican Wesley Hunt wins election to U.S. House in Texas' 38th Congressional District". ABC13 Houston. November 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Sforza, Lauren (January 6, 2023). "Incoming Texas Republican returning to Texas after son born prematurely". The Hill. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ "H Res. 70". Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "H Res. 80". Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "House Committee on Small Business - Subcommittees". Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ Svitek, Patrick (January 11, 2023). "As Donald Trump mounts his 2024 presidential bid, his support among Texas officials is waning". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023". GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". US News & World Report. March 8, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Opinion | A Newly Elected Black Republican Has a Message for His Party's Leaders". The New York Times. November 10, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ "2020 March 3rd Republican Primary". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "2020 November 3rd General Election" (PDF). Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Official Canvass Report: 2022 March 1st Republican Primary" (PDF). Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
External links
edit- Congressman Wesley Hunt official U.S. House website
- Wesley Hunt for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN