'Inclusive for all': First-term Black Republican talks non-White voters ditching Dems for GOP
First-term House Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, is part of a growing group of young, Black conservative lawmakers who are steadily changing the face of the Republican Party – and he believes that more non-White voters will follow.
"This is what the party is today. This is the future of the party as well," Hunt told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Despite only being elected to Congress roughly a year and a half ago, Hunt – a retired Army captain who served in Iraq – is slated to speak at this week's Republican National Convention (RNC), where former President Donald Trump will be formally declared the party's White House nominee.
He's also been instrumental to Trump on the campaign trail, co-hosting various events with Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., in a bid to raise Trump's support among Black voters.
AMBER ROSE CONFIRMS PRO-TRUMP SPEECH AT RNC IN MILWAUKEE NEXT WEEK
Hunt said it was important for more non-White Americans to join the GOP because it reflects the country's own changing demographics. He pointed to his own home state of Texas, for instance, which is projected to be a majority-Hispanic state by the next census, Hunt said.
"I don't like playing identity politics, and I leave that to the left. But what I do want to be is inclusive for all Americans," Hunt said. "We all want to do better. We all want a better middle class. We all want a safe southern border. We all want to feel safer in our communities. No one wants to see the turmoil we're seeing all over the world."
"But I will tell you this, it's important for Black people to see other Black Republicans, because traditionally, that hasn't been the case."
Hunt conceded the that GOP was and is "overwhelmingly" White, but argued that the policies it stands for, and Democrats' handling of the White House, are driving minority voters to their side.
"The biggest issues are safety, the southern border and, of course, the economy. People are struggling. People are having a hard time putting food on the table. They're having a hard time putting gas in their cars. And those issues are issues that are very germane to the Black community," Hunt said.
"Traditionally, the Black community just voted as Democrats because their grandmother, their great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather before them told them to do it. Well, now America has changed tremendously. It's not like it was during Jim Crow, as we hear the Democrats talk about it all the time."
Hunt's campaigning for Trump is part of Republicans' overall effort this cycle to reach more non-White voters.
Just last month, the Trump campaign opened an outreach office in a majority Hispanic part of Pennsylvania.
Trump has also made appearances in majority non-White parts of New York City while he was on trial in Manhattan.
TRUMP ADDRESSES CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: HE ‘DOESN’T WANT TO QUIT'
It's not clear yet how far that will take him, however. In 2020, Trump won roughly 8% of Black voters and 35% of Hispanic voters.
But Hunt was hopeful that wider demographic representation could help Republicans boost their numbers.
"I'm not running per se as a Black Republican. I'm running as a Republican that happens to be Black," he said. "But I think having faces out there like mine, faces out there like [Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Rep. John James, R-Mich.], I think it's very beneficial for the party, for people to see that, 'You know what? It's not just a party of all White people. Here are some young Black conservatives that are going to be leaders for the future, that are strong conservatives.'"