House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was surprised by Republican Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt’s decision to miss a critical vote Thursday while Republicans work to pass their agenda with a razor-thin majority.
Hunt, who is vying in a brutal three-way Texas Senate primary, was absent while House Republicans advanced a rule teeing up votes on four appropriations bills, including a measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Though House Republicans did not end up needing Hunt’s vote to advance the funding bills, GOP leadership has voiced irritation about the Senate hopeful’s frequent absences while he campaigns ahead of the March 3 primary.
“I expected him to be here so this was a surprise to me,” Johnson told reporters, adding that he had not spoken to Hunt the entire week.
When asked whether Hunt’s absences hurt Republicans’ efforts to pass their agenda, Johnson replied, “We have effectively a one-vote margin, so it doesn’t make the job easier.”
Hunt missed 46 out of the 49 roll call votes (94%) between Dec. 18, 2025 and Jan. 21, 2026, according to analysis from GovTrack.
He was absent for an additional three roll call votes during a vote series Thursday morning. House Republicans narrowly advanced the rule teeing up the four government funding bills in a vote of 214-213. All Democrats who were present voted “no,” forcing GOP leadership to scrap together enough Republican votes
Hunt, a member of the influential House Judiciary Committee, was absent during former special counsel Jack Smith’s testimony to the panel Thursday.
Those present for Thursday’s vote included Republican Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack, who announced the death of his wife, Terri, on Monday after 41 years of marriage. Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Baird also voted Thursday morning while wearing a neck brace following a car accident earlier in January that left him and his wife hospitalized.
Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York, Tom McClintock of California and Andy Harris of Maryland also did not vote.
Since Hunt was sworn into Congress in January 2023, he has been absent for 327 out of 1,641 roll call votes, which amounts to a 20% absence rate during his three-year tenure. The median lawmaker has a lifetime absence rate of 2%, according to GovTrack.
A spokesperson for Hunt told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the Senate hopeful would be present for votes later on Thursday.
“The Speaker of the House contacted Congressman Hunt approximately 30 minutes ago to inform him that his vote is needed this afternoon,” the spokesperson said. “Congressman Hunt is en route to Washington, D.C. as we speak and will be present to cast his vote and ensure the bill is passed.”
“A member of House Leadership confirmed with Rep. Hunt on Tuesday that his presence was not needed in DC this week,” a Hunt spokesperson told the DCNF after publication.
House GOP leadership have repeatedly stated that lawmakers must show up for votes barring family or health emergencies, citing Republicans’ two-seat majority.
“We have made it very clear to our members, especially with a narrow majority, that you have a job to do and it’s important for everyone to be here who is able to,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told the DCNF Wednesday. “Every member needs to be here doing their job. There’s a lot of members running statewide who are here voting every day.”
“And frankly, if you’re trying to make an appeal to voters that you want some other job the best way to do that is by proving how good of a job you’re doing in your current job,” Scalise continued.
Hunt told a local Texas-based outlet Monday that Republican primary voters do not care about his frequent missed votes.
“Last I checked, the people of Texas don’t necessarily care about your attendance record,” Hunt said in an interview with ABC 7 Amarillo News. “They care about whether you’ll pass gun control legislation, whether you’ll codify President Trump’s agenda and whether you’ll secure our southern border.”
Hunt is trailing his GOP primary opponents — Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Republican State Attorney General Ken Paxton — by double digits, according to Decision Desk HQ’s polling average of the primary contest.
Cornyn’s campaign has sharply criticized Hunt’s frequent absences from Capitol Hill.
“Wesley Hunt is refusing to fight for Trump’s agenda by putting his selfish political ambitions before his responsibilities,” Cornyn campaign spokesman Matt Mackowiak said in a statement. “He needs to do his job.”
Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the comment from a Hunt spokesperson sent post-publication.
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