Wesley Hunt Has Met With White House Aides About Entering The Texas Senate Primary, Ap Sources Say

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas may enter his state's Republican primary for a Senate seat, adding more intrigue to what is already a marquee midterm contest.

Hunt this month discussed a potential Senate bid with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and political director James Blair, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The meeting occurred days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his primary challenge of four-term Sen. John Cornyn, two of the people said.

A political action committee is running ads across Texas promoting Hunt's biography in cities well outside his Houston-area district. One of the ads has also aired in Washington and in West Palm Beach, Florida, home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.

A Hunt bid for Senate could assuage national and Texas Republicans worried about Cornyn, whose past Trump criticisms and support for gun regulations have angered the state's Republican base. It might also address concerns about Paxton, who faced impeachment proceedings and a federal investigation that he abused his office to aid a political donor - even as he remains one of the state's most powerful Republicans.

But it also could put Trump in a position to have to endorse one or more of the three candidates and alienate parts of his base who support the other candidates.