Texas Senate race heats up as Republicans brace for a runoff

Rep. Wesley Hunt is filing to run for the Senate in Texas, officially kicking off the most heated and headache-inducing primary for Senate Republicans as they defend their majority next year.

Rep. Wesley Hunt is submitting his paperwork to run for the Senate in Texas on Tuesday, officially kicking off the most heated and headache-inducing primary for Senate Republicans as they defend their majority next year.

Hunt will sign the paperwork solidifying his Senate run Tuesday morning, according to his campaign, six weeks after he launched his Senate campaign, ending speculation that he might drop out with the state’s Dec. 8 filing deadline fast approaching. The race already includes GOP Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Republicans involved in the Texas contest and Senate races believe Hunt’s candidacy all but ensures none of the three contenders will win a majority of the vote in the March 3 primary.

That would extend the already pricey primary race to a May 26 runoff, with the top two vote-getters competing for the nomination. That would prolong an intraparty fight when Republicans would rather be taking aim at Democrats and drain resources that could be used for a potentially competitive general election.

More than $50 million has already been spent in the GOP primary on ads, mostly by pro-Cornyn groups, according to the ad-tracking from AdImpact. And there could be more to come.