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Texas GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt recently told reporters that the number of Black Republicans in Congress is “not relevant” and election outcomes should be based on merit rather than race.
Hunt is one of four Black GOP House members leaving Congress this year, alongside Reps. John James (Michigan), Byron Donalds (Florida), and Burgess Owens (Utah). According to Black Enterprise, when reporters asked him what he thought of all four leaders leaving, he replied that he’s “not here because [he’s] Black.”
“It’s not relevant,” he said. “I’m not here because I’m Black. I am here because I am a qualified representative for Congressional District 38.”
Hunt framed his response around the idea that the outcome of an election should not depend on race but rather on voters' preferences and the merit of the candidates themselves.
He referenced a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., claiming that he is being judged “not by the color of my skin, but the content of my character,” and he doesn't care how many Black people there are in Congress.
“The American people choose who they want to choose. I don’t want to get into this game of RACE BAIT all day, every day,” Hunt said. “If there’s four? If there’s 10? If there’s none. I don’t care how many Black people are here; I want the most qualified people who are here.”
Hunt was elected in March 2022 after winning Texas’s 38th Congressional district, which is about 53% white, according to Legisletter.
All four representatives were recruited to Congress as part of an initiative led by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to diversify the GOP. McCarthy began the push in response to the Democrats winning the House in 2018, telling The New York Times that the “more diverse the party is, the more opportunity we have.”
Hunt gave up his congressional seat to run for the Senate in the March 2026 Texas primary, but came in third place with 13.5% of the vote, according to The Texas Tribune. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn both advanced to the May 26 runoff, each receiving around 40% of the vote.
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