Texas Congressman's Voting Absences Under Fire Amid Inflated Health Claims
Republican Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas is facing intense scrutiny over his congressional voting attendance record, which shows he missed 77 votes in 2025—the worst performance among GOP members. Hunt has attributed these absences to the premature birth of his son and his wife's hospitalization, but evidence suggests his claims have been exaggerated.
Discrepancies in NICU Timeline and Voting Record
According to data from GovTrack, Hunt's 77 missed votes in 2025 are nearly ten times higher than the average for his colleagues. When questioned by reporters in December about criticism from Texas Senator John Cornyn, Hunt stated, "I missed a large swath of votes because my child was in the NICU for a while when he was first born, when I first got elected to Congress."
However, this narrative conflicts with earlier statements and social media posts from Hunt and his wife, Emily. Their son, Willie, was born on December 27, 2022, six weeks premature according to a 2025 claim, though a 2023 press release indicated only four weeks. Hunt missed no votes during his son's actual hospitalization period. The only significant absence occurred from January 26–27 and February 2–9, 2023, during which the family was reportedly taking the baby on outings.
Shifting Stories and Political Backlash
In January 2023, Hunt told C-SPAN his son spent "a couple of weeks" in the NICU and that "everyone is doing perfectly well." Yet, by 2025, he described the same period as his son "fighting for his life" and spending "the first months of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit." This inconsistency has become a focal point for his primary opponents, including Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Cornyn's campaign has amplified allegations against Hunt, accusing him of spreading falsehoods. A senior adviser, Matt Mackowiak, has called for an investigation into Hunt's 2016 voting attempt, where Hunt cast a provisional ballot that was not counted due to lack of registration. Hunt claimed in an affidavit that he failed to register because he was discharged from the military in October 2016, but official records show his separation occurred in 2012.
Broader Implications and Primary Contest
Hunt's voting neglect has persisted throughout his congressional career. In one instance last month, he skipped over 90 percent of scheduled votes, though a police escort rushed him from Dulles airport to break a tie in one series. Despite his role as a top surrogate for former President Donald Trump, Trump has not endorsed Hunt in the hotly contested primary.
A recent University of Houston poll places Hunt third at 17 percent, behind Paxton (38 percent) and Cornyn (31 percent). The poll also indicates Paxton would beat Cornyn in a potential runoff, 51 percent to 40 percent. Early voting for the Texas primary begins on February 17, with the first round on March 3.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Hunt for comment, but as of now, his campaign faces mounting credibility challenges as the primary approaches.
