Wesley Hunt

Wesley Parish Hunt (born November 13, 1981) is an American politician and former U.S. Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 38th congressional district since 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Hunt was a candidate in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas, placing third in the Republican primary behind incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Early life and education

Hunt 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. His West Point class of 2004 classmates include U.S. representatives John James and Pat Ryan.

Hunt was commissioned into the U.S. Army in 2004 and flew Apache helicopters in the military. He was deployed once to Iraq and was deployed twice to Saudi Arabia as a diplomatic liaison officer. He left the army at the rank of captain in 2012.

After being honorably discharged, he attended Cornell University and obtained a Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

Hunt 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. He lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Lizzie Fletcher. Hunt conceded to Fletcher a day after the election.

2022

A day after redistricted maps were revealed, Hunt announced his intention to run in the new, solidly Republican 38th district. 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. He was endorsed by Republican Main Street Partnership PAC He defeated the Democratic nominee, Duncan Klussmann, in the November 8 general election, 63% to 35%.

Tenure

In January 2023, at the beginning of the 118th U.S. Congress, Hunt supported Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Hunt is on the House Judiciary, Natural Resources and Small Business Committees. On the Small Business Committee he chairs the Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains

Hunt endorsed Donald Trump's campaign in the 2024 presidential election.

Syria

In 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.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Hunt was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.

Personal life

Around 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.

Hunt is a Baptist. He attended Champion Forest Baptist Church, which he has said shaped his beliefs.

Electoral history

2020

2022

2024

2026

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives

External links

• official U.S. House website
• campaign website
• at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• at the Federal Election Commission
• at the Library of Congress
• at Vote Smart
• on C-SPAN