Wesley Hunt insisted he was never a spoiler — and that he had a real path to runoff. But he’s a distant third, and his presence is now forcing a two-month runoff, exactly what Senate Rs had feared and why they urged him to stay out. Hunt also predicted Cornyn would lose runoff:

SLF, super PAC linked to Thune, railing on Hunt tonight for “career-ending vanity tour without any substance or political reasoning.” The group said that “Republican voters are now forced to endure an even longer primary runoff election."

Asked Wesley Hunt if if he didn’t get into runoff, will the race have been worth it: “Of course it’s worth it.” Hunt, now a distant third, missed scores of votes as he campaigned and faced attacks over that. He told me it “never” comes up. Some voters told me it bothers them.

Lot of Rs view James Talarico as a much tougher candidate — which is why two-month GOP runoff is causing lot of angst since it could cost $200M. Pressure will grow on Trump to endorse GOP Rep. Goldman says Talarico will be “a very tough” opponent in Nov