Republican Jeff Hurd wins Colorado US House seat in Lauren Boebert’s old district

Republican Jeff Hurd has won the U.S. House seat in Colorado that Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert nearly lost in 2022 then left for another race, a risky but ultimately successful bet she took in the hopes of keeping the seat in GOP hands and staying in Congress herself.

Hurd, more mild-mannered than Boebert and hewing to an older GOP tradition, beat Adam Frisch, the Democrat who nearly unseated Boebert two years ago in the 3rd Congressional District, which covers the state’s Rocky Mountains. Boebert, meanwhile, won a seat in the 4th Congressional District.

Hurd was leading by about 12,000 votes in unofficial results as of Thursday — a much larger margin than the 546 votes Boebert won by in 2022.

Hurd campaigned on a platform centered around rural jobs and the cost of living, alongside more national issues such as border security. He was not endorsed by former and incoming President Donald Trump and rarely mentioned him during the campaign. That’s in stark contrast to Boebert, who spoke and prayed often for Trump on the campaign trail, and swung an endorsement from him in the 4th District.

“I got into this race to ensure that our rural communities are not forgotten,” Hurd said in a written statement. “It will be an honor and privilege to represent the district where I was raised.”

Hurd thanked Frisch and voters for participating in the elections process, saying, “Your engagement is the lifeblood of our democracy. Let us move forward with confidence in our democratic institutions.”

Hurd overcame a massive fundraising deficit against Frisch, who had one of the largest U.S. House campaign chests in the nation. Frisch’s contributions were fueled by donations from around the country from Democrats who disliked Boebert. Frisch is a businessman and former city councilmember in Aspen.

Frisch, in a phone call, said Trump’s sweeping victory this week presented a challenge for his own prospects in the historically Republican-leaning district.

“There’s only so much you can swim against the tide,” he said. As for whether Frisch would have won if Boebert hadn’t left the race, he remarked, “Do I think we would’ve beaten Boebert? Yes. Can I guarantee that? No.”

Boebert is an ardent Trump loyalist and a rabble-rouser who’s helped define an ultra-conservative flank of the House. She left the race to run in the 4th District, a Republican stronghold covering a sweep of the Great Plains, saying she didn’t want to give Democrats a chance to “buy” the seat in the 3rd.

Boebert’s move came after Frisch nearly beat her two years ago. She was later caught on tape vaping and groping with a date in a Denver theater, which rattled even loyal supporters.

Justifying her change of districts, Boebert said, “There is a need for my voice in Congress.”

She later said she wanted a fresh start for her family after a messy and public divorce.

After successfully fighting through a packed Republican primary election, where she avoided a surprise political threat with some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Boebert is now the incumbent in a safely red seat formerly held by conservative Republican Rep. Ken Buck.

When Buck resigned earlier this year, he cited the flank of the party that is known for its hardheaded politics and unwavering devotion to Trump — traits that made Boebert a name brand.

Hurd’s victory also bore out Boebert’s hope that her move would allow Republicans to maintain control of the district that first elected her in 2020.

Boebert has been criticized for her intractable politics — stonewalling the January 2023 vote to elect Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, for example — but has said that her actions are aimed at keeping the promises she made on the campaign trail.

Jesse Bedayn, The Associated Press