MILWAUKEE — Four years ago, then-President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt in his highly watched challenge against Democratic Rep. Lizzie Fletcher.
He is now one of the former president’s most visible surrogates from Texas, crisscrossing the country at campaign rallies and helping with outreach with Black voters. It’s a loyalty that was rewarded with a prime time speaking spot on the Republican National Convention stage on Monday, the first Texan to speak.
“I’m the great-great-grandson of a slave. I’m the son of a retired lieutenant colonel. I’m the product of West Point along with my other two siblings. And I risked my life in combat to preserve our nation,” Hunt bellowed to the crowded Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. He spoke in a tightly tailored three-piece suit and million-watt smile. “Now there is another man who is putting it all on the line to save our nation. His name is President Donald Trump.”
Hunt’s appearance at the RNC solidified his meteoric rise in Trump’s orbit. It was years in the making.
Republicans had high hopes in his unsuccessful 2020 challenge against Fletcher of the 7th Congressional District. The race was one of Republicans’ top targets in the state that year. The seat was traditionally a Republican stronghold (Sen. Ted Cruz was a constituent), flipping in 2018 in a blue wave in response to the Trump presidency. Hunt raised over $7 million that cycle.
Trump’s endorsement in that year’s primary catapulted him ahead of a crowded six-way race with 61 percent of the vote.
But Fletcher was able to match Republican zeal. A prolific fundraiser and quiet team player for House Democrats, she won the 2020 race by a 3-point margin. She was the Democrats’ most successful fundraiser that cycle, raising over $6.4 million.
Hunt would eventually win his seat in Congress in 2022 after redistricting created the comfortably Republican 38th Congressional District.
The two members have since buried the hatchet as they represent Houston together in Congress. They often work together representing the city’s energy interests and advocating for federal resources to address flooding.
Hunt hasn’t forgotten Trump’s help in fulfilling his political ambitions in 2020 and acts to return the favor.
“Sight unseen. He’d heard about me. He called me on the phone. We chatted very briefly, and he endorsed me,” Hunt said about his 2020 race in an interview on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention. “This is about paying back.”
Hunt has shown antipathy for less fervent supporters of the former president. In an interview with The Texas Tribune earlier this year, Hunt called Republicans who endorsed Trump later in the cycle a “complete joke,” saying: "If you're endorsing President Trump by the time he's up 60 points, you're not a serious person."
He declined to specify whom he was referring to, though it could describe most of Texas’ congressional Republicans. He said it was all “water under the bridge.” But he said he had “contentious conversations” with his fellow Republicans who didn’t endorse Trump until it was clear he would win the nomination.
Hunt was effusive about Trump’s vice presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. Before joining the Senate, Vance was critical of Trump, calling him “reprehensible” and “cultural heroin.” But Hunt said he trusted Trump’s judgment.
The Trump campaign has deployed Hunt at rallies in states ranging from Pennsylvania to New Mexico. Hunt has also led outreach programming to recruit Black voters, specifically men. He and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, hosted an Atlanta event called “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” in June. Hunt abhors the idea that Black voters should be assumed to be Democrats.
“We came up with this idea, and it was the idea of how do we capitalize on one of the top demographics of the Democrat party,” Hunt said.
Hunt said he was planning to do a similar event in Milwaukee, but the schedule of the convention got ahead of them. Though he said he would make the time if Trump requested.
Hunt’s rising star was apparent throughout the convention, where he garnered a standing ovation at a Texas delegation breakfast on Tuesday morning. It’s his first time at a national party convention, and he said it’s “the most media I’ve done in my life.”
If Trump becomes president again, Hunt’s prominence could also elevate his profile for a future Trump administration post — a possibility he is not ruling out.
“Congressman Hunt would honorably accept a position within the future administration to serve President Trump and this nation, especially if it helps Texas,” his campaign said in a statement.
But until then, he said he would continue to support Trump no matter what.
“I'm a military guy,” Hunt said “I view this as like a deployment.”
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