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Black GOP congressman shuts down race question following Supreme Court redistricting ruling
By CJ Womack
Published April 30, 2026
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, pushed back Wednesday during an interview with MeidasTouch's Pablo Manríquez after being asked about Black Republicans in Congress following the Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a major Voting Rights Act case involving race and congressional redistricting.
Hunt rejected the premise of the question after Manríquez asked whether "there won’t be any Black Republicans left in the House."
"It's not relevant. I’m not here because I’m Black," Hunt said. "I am here because I am a qualified representative for Congressional District 38."
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Rep. Wesley Hunt speaks during an interview with MeidasTouch's Pablo Manríquez as he responds to questions on race and representation in Congress. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hunt framed his response around the idea that electoral outcomes should reflect voter preference rather than racial considerations, rejecting the premise that representation should be measured through identity.
"The American people choose who they want to choose," Hunt said. "I don’t want to get into this game of race bait all day, every day."
Hunt said the number of Black Republicans serving in Congress should not be treated as the central measure of representation.
"If there’s four?" he said. "If there’s 10? If there’s none."
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The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., following a ruling that narrowed the use of race in congressional redistricting under the Voting Rights Act. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
He pointed to the political makeup of his district to underscore his argument that electoral success is not dependent on racial alignment, noting the partisan lean and margin of victory in his race.
"I represent a White majority district that President Trump would have won by over 20 points, and I won by over 25 points," he said.
The Texas congressman closed his response by invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous standard for judging people by character rather than skin color.
"I’m being judged not by the color of my skin, but the content of my character," he said.
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Congressional districts across the United States are reshaped during the redistricting process, a central issue in ongoing Voting Rights Act disputes. (Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis)
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The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Wednesday that Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, narrowing how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can be used in redistricting fights.
The case centered on Louisiana’s congressional map, which added a second majority-Black district after litigation citing the 1965 legislation. A group of voters challenged the map, arguing the state relied too heavily on race.
The ruling came as redistricting battles continue nationwide and as both parties debate whether race-conscious congressional districts improperly sort voters by race.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Hunt for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/wesley-hunt-shuts-race-question-amid-supreme-court-vra-ruling-says-representation-isnt-race