Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas is part of a group of young, black, conservative lawmakers who are steadily changing the face of the Republican Party and believes more non-white voters will follow.
“This is what the party is today. This is what the future of the party is,” Hunt said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Hunt, a former Army captain who served in Iraq, was only elected to Congress about a year and a half ago but is scheduled to speak this week at the Republican National Convention, where former President Donald Trump is expected to formally nominate him as the party’s nominee for the White House.
He has also worked for Trump on the campaign trail, co-hosting various events with Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.) to boost Trump’s support among black voters.
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Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) is a leading surrogate for President Trump as he tries to win over non-white voters. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Hunt said getting more non-white Americans into the Republican Party is important because it reflects the country’s changing demographics, pointing to his home state of Texas, for example, which is projected to become majority Hispanic in the next census.
“I don’t like to play identity politics, I leave that to the left, but what I want is inclusion of all Americans,” Hunt said. “We all want better. We all want a better middle class. We all want a safe southern border. We all want to feel safer in our communities. None of us want to see the chaos that we’re seeing around the world.”
“But I would say it’s important for black people to see other black Republicans, because traditionally, that hasn’t happened.”
Hunt acknowledged that the Republican Party was, and still is, “overwhelmingly” white, but argued that Republican policies and a Democratic run of the White House are drawing minority voters to the Democratic side.
Former President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend Barron’s graduation ceremony in Florida during a break in their New York criminal trial.
Hunt will also speak at the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be formally nominated. (National Rifle Association)
“The biggest issues are safety, the southern border and of course the economy. People are struggling. People are struggling to put food on the table. People are struggling to put gas in their cars. And these issues are very relevant to the Black community,” Hunt said.
“Traditionally, the black community only voted Democrat because their grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers, great-great-grandfathers told them to. But America has changed a lot now. It’s not like the days of Jim Crow laws that Democrats always talk about.”
Hunt’s campaign for Trump is part of an overall effort by Republicans to reach out to more non-white voters this term.
Last month, the Trump campaign opened a public relations office in a majority-Hispanic area of Pennsylvania.
Trump also made appearances in majority-white neighborhoods of New York City during his trial in Manhattan.
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Hunt argues that the Biden administration’s way of running the country is driving non-white voters away from the Democratic Party. (Scott Olson)
But it’s not yet clear how far that will take him: In 2020, Trump won about 8% of black voters and 35% of Hispanic voters.
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But Hunt hopes broader demographic representation will help Republicans rally in power.
“I’m not running as a black Republican. I’m running as a Republican who happens to be black,” he said. “But a face like mine, [Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Rep. John James, R-Mich.]”I think it would be very beneficial for the party to let people know, ‘Look, this isn’t just a white party. We have young black conservatives here who are our future leaders. These are strong conservatives.'”
