LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Houston Congressman Wesley Hunt is hoping to earn Lubbock’s vote in the upcoming primary election. He’s one of eight Republican candidates on the March 3 ballot.
The U.S. Army veteran flew Apache helicopters for eight years and was deployed to Iraq. He comes from a long line of military service, something he says he’s proud of.
“We have 60 years of military experience in my family. We are fighters,” Hunt said. “It’s time to fight for Texas and fight for our country.”
Hunt was elected to represent parts of Houston in the U.S. House of Representatives back in 2023. With his second term coming to a close, he says now is the time to look toward a new future.
“Being a career politician is nothing I’m interested in doing. That’s not what our Founding Fathers intended this institution to be,” Hunt said. “I’m going to term limit myself [in the Senate] like I term limited myself in a very safe congressional district in Houston.”
He says that’s what sets him apart from the two other “career politicians” in this race: incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“People want young America First fighters to lead us into the future. The Senate is not a retirement community,” Hunt said.
Cornyn, Hunt and Paxton are currently the three highest-polling candidates. A new poll released by Emerson College has Paxton in the lead with 27% support, Cornyn trailing with 26% and Hunt at 16%.
29% of people surveyed identified as “undecided”.
If elected, Hunt has the ambition to become the “Energy Senator”. He currently sits on the House Natural Resources Committee.
“Houston, Texas is kind of known as the energy capital of the world so that kind of gave me a mandate on what my focus was in the halls of Congress. Since Joe Manchin left the Senate, there isn’t an Energy Senator of the United States. Wesley Hunt can fill that void,” Hunt said.
Hunt says he wants to strip away regulations against oil and gas companies, drill and safely frack.
On the topic of Texas’ natural resources, KCBD asked Hunt whether he supported regulations for water when it comes to AI data centers if he doesn’t support regulation for oil and gas.
“We have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time because AI data centers are coming. They require a lot of power so we need more power generation,” Hunt said. “I have been working with the oil and gas industry for the past few years so I know what it takes and how to work with these companies to get ahead of the issue,” Hunt said.
Aside from energy, Hunt says he’s prioritizing President Trump’s “America First” agenda. Hunt is a Trump loyalist, boasting his support of the President through both terms.
“President Trump won Texas with 15 points which means this is ‘Trump Country’,” Hunt said. “So I think it’s only fitting, as the first person to endorse him in the country, to become the next Senator of the great state of Texas.”
The primary election is March 3. You must register to vote by Feb. 2 to participate. You can check your voter registration status here: https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/
Copyright 2026 KCBD. All rights reserved.