How Wesley Hunt's entry into the Texas Senate race impacts Republican primary rivals Cornyn and Paxton
The contentious Republican primary between Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton received a political jolt of its own after Representative Wesley Hunt ended months of speculation and entered the race.
On Monday, Oct. 6, he announced his campaign and joined Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term, and Paxton.
A new poll by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University, released last week and conducted before Hunt entered the race, shows Paxton with a one percentage point lead over Cornyn, at 34% to 33%. Hunt has 22% with 11% unsure.
Hours after he announced his campaign, Hunt visited the CBS News Texas studio to discuss why he decided to run.
Hunt said, "This race cannot be about a blood feud between Ken Paxton and John Cornyn. This race has got to be about Texas."
While Cornyn and Paxton have high name ID after running successful statewide campaigns, Hunt is not well known outside his hometown region. Hunt's entry comes after he and his supporters have blitzed the DFW market with TV ads to boost his name recognition.
When asked what he brings to the table, Hunt said, "I think it's a fresh face. It's a fresh look. It's new leadership."
Hunt said he is running in the March 3 primary because he believes Senator Cornyn is vulnerable in the GOP primary in March.
"Well, of course. That's exactly what the numbers show. That's exactly what the data shows," he said.
Hunt pointed to the heavy TV advertising by Cornyn and those supporting the longtime Senator's re-election campaign.
"He should be at 60 to 70% no matter what, and he's barely cresting 30%. That's been consistent across all polls, which tells me that the people of Texas are looking for an alternative," said Hunt.
When asked if he believed Paxton is vulnerable in the general election next year, Hunt said, "The data absolutely shows that. But again, this is not about me trying to compare who can win or who can lose in a general election, or who can win or who can lose in a primary election. This is about choosing the best candidate."
Paxton and Cornyn Campaigns respond to Hunt's entry
In a statement, Paxton campaign advisor Nick Maddux said, "We welcome Wesley Hunt to the race. Primaries are good for our party and our voters, and Wesley and General Paxton both know that Texans deserve better than the failed, anti-Trump record of John Cornyn."
Cornyn's Senior Campaign Advisor Matt Mackowiak slammed Hunt in a statement, "Senator Cornyn has soared ahead in the latest polling and will win this election. Rep. Wesley Hunt is a legend in his own mind. No one is happier this morning than the national Democrats, who are watching Wesley continue his quixotic quest for relevancy, costing tens of millions of dollars that will endanger the Trump agenda from being passed."
In response to the Cornyn campaign, Hunt said, "That means I'm right over the target zone, and I'm doing exactly what I need to be doing."
Trump's endorsement for U.S. Senate
President Trump has not endorsed any of the Republican candidates in this race, but has said he is paying attention to it.
Hunt said, "I don't think this race is entirely about that. I think President Trump's endorsement has to be earned. If you've noticed, he hasn't endorsed anyone in this race. I would love to have President Trump's endorsement, especially in the Republican primary, because it ends it. But that's not what this is about. This is about putting our best foot forward and showing the president and showing the people of Texas what America first really, really means."
CBS News Texas recently interviewed Cornyn and has made multiple requests to interview Paxton, but has not heard back from his campaign.
Cornyn announced he raised nearly $3.4 million in the third quarter between his campaign and committees supporting his campaign. He has $10.5 million cash on hand. There's no word yet from the Paxton campaign or Hunt's campaign.
Political Science Professor weighs in
SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson sized up the GOP primary in an interview with CBS News Texas. He said Hunt is counting on there to be a large number of Republicans weary of both Cornyn and Paxton.
"If there are enough such people, then Hunt can capture them and potentially can have a path to victory. I'm not sure there are enough people who are sufficiently disillusioned with both candidates to make that work. I think the difficulty is that both Cornyn and Paxton have some pretty committed supporters. It's going to be hard to budget a lot of people off their existing preferences," said Wilson.
Like other analysts, Wilson believes there will be a runoff in the GOP primary.
"I think it has a good likelihood of doing that because right now, Hunt polls at least in the 20s. So what we typically see in the polling is both Cornyn and Paxton somewhere in the 30s. If they all maintain that flow of support, that means you're making it a runoff. There is a fair likelihood if all three candidates remain through primary day, that there would be a runoff in the race. That would take place May 26," said Wilson.