Former Rep. Will Hurd Joins Republican Presidential Field
By 270toWin Staff
June 22, 2023, 9:42 AM ET
Former Rep. Will Hurd announced Thursday that he is running for president. He joins a Republican field of candidates now numbering into the double-digits.
I’m in.
— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) June 22, 2023
Join me at https://t.co/UoYuhkf2zJ pic.twitter.com/M19lU9GzDh
Hurd represented the sprawling southwestern Texas District 23 that included much of the state's border with Mexico. The largest district in Texas was also one of its most competitive.1 1The district was shifted to the right in redistricting after the 2020 Census. Republican Tony Gonzales, elected by four points in 2020, won by 17% in 2022, when the new maps were first used. In 2014, Hurd defeated incumbent Democrat Pete Gallego by about two points. He was reelected by even more narrow margins in 2016 and 2018 before opting not to run in 2020.
Hurd is a sharp critic of Donald Trump and more ideologically moderate than many in the large GOP field. It is unclear if either of those attributes will find any traction with primary voters who, to this point, have shown a strong preference for the former president. In the current 270toWin national Republican polling average, Trump is at 53%, a full 30% ahead of his nearest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. No other candidate is averaging more than about 6%.
