May 1, 2026
Wesley Hunt Quotes MLK Jr., Says ‘I Don’t Care How Many Black People Are Here’ Amid 4 Republicans Leaving Congress
While Hunt claimed the number of Black congressional Republicans shouldn’t be treated as the core measure of representation, recent numbers and events prove representation matters.
Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt finally spoke out after reporters asked for his thoughts on all four Black GOP members of the House of Representatives leaving at the end of the current session in January 2027: “It’s not relevant. I’m not here because I’m Black.”
His response comes after the Supreme Court struck down Section 2 of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 in Louisiana v. Callais, allowing the state to restrict Black representation in congressional redistricting. When MeidasTouch’s Pablo Manríquez asked what he makes of all four leaders—Reps. John James (Mich.), Burgess Owens (Ut.), Byron Donalds (FL.), and himself — leaving soon, he said, “I don’t.” “I’m not here because I’m Black. I am here because I am a qualified representative for Congressional District 38,” Hunt said.
He continued to frame his response around the ideology that the outcomes of electoral races should reflect voter preference rather than race and pushed the premise that representation should be measured by identity. “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, who lost his senatorial bid earlier this year, said.
The Texas congressman continued to quote the late civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., claiming the number of Black congressional Republicans shouldn’t be treated as the core measure of representation, and boasted about serving a majority-white district. “If there’s four? If there’s 10? If there’s none,” the avid Trump supporter continued.
“I represent a White majority district that President Trump would have won by over 20 points, and I won by over 25 points. I’m being judged not by the color of my skin, but the content of my character.”
However, recent numbers and events prove representation matters. According to the Texas Tribune, Hunt, 44, gave up his congressional seat to run for the Senate, but failed to make the run-off. He finished in a distant third place — only receiving 13.5% of the vote — behind his white rivals, Attorney General Ken Paxton, 63, and Sen. John Cornyn, 74.
Hunt is part of a squad he referred to as “Democrats’ worst nightmare in one room,” but that squad is seemingly being dismantled, with the exception of Sen. Tim Scott, who holds the crown as the sole Black serving Republican. While Donalds seems to hold a lead in his race for Florida governor, James was recently booed by members of his own party during a Republican event in Michigan.
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