U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt on Thursday called for a debate between the three leading candidates in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, arguing that voters should hear from the candidates beyond the millions they are spending on paid advertising.
Hunt, R-Houston, launched his Senate bid earlier this month, joining incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton in the bitter and expensive race for the GOP nomination. The three have exchanged barbs on social media and in advertisements but have yet to schedule a formal debate ahead of the March 3 primary.
In a memo addressed to the political consulting firms working for Cornyn and Paxton, Hunt laid out his case for setting up a debate that he said should take place before Thanksgiving. He also proposed a format, calling for a 75-minute debate based in his hometown of Houston.
“Although we are still over four months away from our March 3, 2026 primary, this race has already seen over $40 million spent to influence Texas Republican primary voters,” Hunt wrote. “Therefore, it makes sense that voters not only learn about the race and our candidates through paid ads but also hear directly from the candidates. Anyone seeking our party’s nomination must be able to defend their past and present positions and present a clear vision for the future of our state and nation.”
Implicit in Hunt’s proposal are his critiques of his opponents. The second-term congressman has aggressively gone after Cornyn for spearheading a bipartisan gun safety bill and previously voicing skepticism about President Donald Trump’s electability. And while Hunt has been gracious to Paxton — both are pitching themselves as anti-establishment candidates who are more conservative than Cornyn — he has presented himself as a younger, MAGA-aligned Republican who can carry on Trump’s agenda well into the future.
Hunt’s debate proposal comes amid increasing tensions with Cornyn’s campaign. Since his Oct. 6 campaign launch, he has used an array of media interviews, podcast appearances, video compilations and social media posts to accuse Cornyn of being insufficiently supportive of Trump’s political movement.
Cornyn has publicly shot back at Hunt, disputing the congressman’s characterization of his gun legislation and slamming him for missing votes in the House. Cornyn’s campaign also recently re-upped Hunt’s own past comments praising former Trump foe Nikki Haley and criticizing Trump for attacking former Sen. John McCain’s military service.
Polling has shown the contest is likely to be decided in a May runoff, with no candidate within striking distance of the 50% vote share needed to win the nomination in March. Recent public polls have shown Cornyn and Paxton running neck-and-neck with between 30% and 40% support, with Hunt typically falling closer to 20%. Hunt’s campaign has put out its own polling showing him beating either opponent in a head-to-head race.
Hunt’s proposal calls for a live debate with 60 minutes for questions from a “neutral moderator” and 15 minutes for each candidate to ask a question of the other two. He urged Cornyn and Paxton’s camps to schedule a call “as early as this Friday” to hash out the details.
“This race cannot be about a personal blood feud between candidates,” Hunt concluded his memo. “It should focus on the policies that Texans care about most.”
