Republicans created a new Houston-area congressional district for Wesley Hunt, but he doesn’t have a free ride

Houston's newest congressional district was drawn with the aim of electing a Republican – in fact, experts say it was drawn to elect one particular Republican. But that candidate faces a major obstacle on the road to his party's nomination. Former Army captain and Iraq War veteran Wesley Hunt came within four points of beating Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher in 2020. Since then, state GOP lawmakers carved out a new district, Texas' 38th, specifically with him in mind. TX-38 stretches from the Energy Corridor in western Harris County northwards to Cypress and Tomball. It includes the most conservative portions of Fletcher's former 7th district with portions of the deep red 8th district, from which Congressman Kevin Brady is retiring. The result is a district likely to favor Hunt, according to political analyst Jacquie Baly.

“Wesley Hunt grew up in the district," said political analyst Jacquie Baly. “He has over $1 million. His endorsements include heavy hitters like (U.S. House) Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Sen. Ted Cruz.” And last week, Hunt got his highest-profile endorsement yet: Former President Donald Trump. In fact, Hunt's latest campaign finance report shows him with $2 million, roughly 20 times as much as his nearest competitors in the Republican primary. Hunt has nine opponents in the primary, but Baly believes he can clear the 50% +1 threshold needed for a first-round victory. "Based on the last time that we saw Hunt — which was in CD 7 — on the ballot in a Republican primary, he had several opponents at that time and won without a runoff," Baly said. "There's probably a good probability that will happen again. Even though he has nine opponents, this district is pretty much handmade and crafted for him." But at least one of those nine — oil and gas engineer Mark Ramsey — could give Hunt a serious run for his money. Ramsey’s campaign is more local, Baly said: his endorsements have come from Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and state Rep. Mayes Middleton with the Texas Freedom Caucus.