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Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, vowed to make a political comeback after losing the Republican primary for a Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday.
Hunt came in third behind incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Hunt opened his speech by thanking God that he lives in a country where “we the people” choose leaders.
“We, the people, the people of Texas, have spoken. Unfortunately, that person is not me, but that’s okay. Because I always win because I’m a believer in Christ,” Hunt said. “And I will say this, this will not be the last time you see my name on a ballot. I can assure you.”
Hunt went on to say that his time in the House of Representatives and running for Senate have taught him “valuable lessons,” and he is convinced the Republican Party needs “young leadership.”
Rep. Wesley Hunt conceded from the Republican Senate primary in Texas on Tuesday night. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hunt concluded his speech by vowing his “undying support” to whomever wins the Republican Primary, but he did not make an endorsement between Cornyn and Paxton.
“So, at the end of the day, I wish them the best of luck in this runoff, and then whoever chooses – or whoever the people choose to go off into the general election, they will have my undying support on top of that, because we have got to keep Texas red,” he said.
The winner of the Republican Primary will face off against State Rep. James Talarico, who is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, left, pictured alongside James Talarico, right. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Gabriel V. Cardenas/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine whether Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.
The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs spent nearly $100 million to run ads attacking Paxton and Hunt, with the senator charging in the closing weeks of the primary campaign that Democrats will flip the seat in the general election if Paxton is the GOP’s nominee.
Cornyn, his allies, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.
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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, (left) will face off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (right), in a runoff in May. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Paxton, a MAGA firebrand who grabbed significant national attention by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, has dismissed Cornyn’s criticism, telling Digital on the eve of the primary that “I’m 3-0. I’ve won three statewide races.”
Pointing to public opinion polls suggesting he has the edge over Cornyn, Paxton argued, “it’s really easy for him to say that when he’s losing a primary, because he’s not delivered for the people of Texas, and he’s going to find out tomorrow what that means. He’s going to end up losing.”
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Neither candidate reached 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election. They will face each other once again in a runoff in May.
‘ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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