Wesley Hunt wins US Rep. District 7 GOP race
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In Texas Congressional District 7, Army veteran Wesley Hunt will challenge Democratic incumbent Lizzie Fletcher in November.
Hunt declared victory around 9:45 p.m. on Super Tuesday night.
He had 61% of the vote.
He was one of six candidates on the ballot in the Republican primary. Maria Espinoza, Jim Noteware, Kyle Preston, Laique Rehman and Cindy Siegel rounded out the field.
The 7th District covers some of west and northwest Harris County, southwest Houston and the Bellaire area.
Hunt and Siegel were considered the front runners. Fletcher was uncontested.
Hunt and his team knocked on more than 100,000 doors and raised more than $2 million. He has an endorsement from President Donald Trump as a political newcomer with a different kind of experience that he said should give him the edge.
"I'm an eight-year Army veteran, former Apache pilot, and a West Point grad. What I understand is the kind of blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to preserve our values and our way of life," said Hunt, the Republican candidate for U.S. House seat for Texas Congressional District 7.
"I flew 55 combat missions in Baghdad. So, when you put your life on the line to defend this country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, I think it gives me a different perspective about what freedom really means that the other five candidates don't really understand."
Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher flipped the district in 2018 in an upset. Republicans are hoping to take it back and promise to run an aggressive campaign.
Fletcher was out Tuesday morning voting with Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
"Representing Texas' Seventh Congressional District is an honor and a privilege," said Fletcher in a statement Tuesday night.
"I am proud to bring our community's voice to Congress and proud of the work I have done since I arrived. Reaching across the aisle to deliver real results for our community and our country. I look forward to continuing the important work of this community-building for our future, expanding our energy economy, and delivering needed solutions for our health care and telling voters across the district how much we have accomplished, and what we can accomplish in the next two years by sending me back to Washington."
