Jeff Hurd, a Betrayal of Trust in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District

A Slap in the Face to Conservative Voters

Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District has long been a bastion of conservative values, a place where hardworking folks from the Western Slope to Pueblo and beyond expect their representatives to stand firm on principles like limited government, strong borders, energy independence, and Second Amendment rights. But Jeff Hurd, our so-called Republican congressman, has turned his back on all that. Since taking office in January 2025, Hurd has veered sharply to the left, cozying up to the radical agendas of Colorado’s Democratic senators, Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper. These two are the loudest left-wing voices from our state in Washington, pushing everything from open borders to climate hysteria that kills jobs in our rural communities. Hurd’s betrayal is not just disappointing. It is a slap in the face to every conservative voter who put him in office, thinking he would carry the torch after Lauren Boebert’s departure.

Let us be clear right from the start. CD3 is not some swing district where moderates can play both sides and get away with it. History proves it has a deep conservative bias, rooted in the values of independence, self-reliance, and distrust of big government overreach. Hurd claims he wants to be our congressman for a long time. I have news for you Jeff, you will not do it by alienating the conservative base. In fact, when you piss the conservatives off in CD3, you can kiss your CD3 political future goodbye. Do not believe me, just keep it up, or as many leftists are finding out, FAFO, I dare you.

The Conservative Roots of CD3

To understand the depth of Hurd’s betrayal, we must first examine the historical voting patterns that underscore CD3’s conservative bias. This district, encompassing vast rural areas, has consistently leaned Republican in recent decades, with only a brief Democratic interlude in the mid-2000s. The Partisan Voter Index rates CD3 as R+7, meaning it performs about seven points more Republican than the national average. This rating reflects a electorate that prioritizes fiscal responsibility, energy production, and traditional values over progressive experiments.

Looking back, the district flipped to Democrat John Salazar in 2004, when he won with 51 percent against Republican Greg Walcher’s 47 percent. Salazar held the seat comfortably in 2006 with 62 percent and in 2008 with another 62 percent, capitalizing on a national Democratic wave and local issues like agriculture. But conservatives regrouped, and in 2010, amid the Tea Party movement and opposition to Obamacare, Republican Scott Tipton reclaimed the district with 50 percent to Salazar’s 46 percent. This marked the beginning of a Republican dominance that has defined CD3 ever since.

Tipton built on that momentum. In 2012, he secured 53 percent against Democrat Sal Pace’s 41 percent. By 2014, his margin expanded to 58 percent over Democrat Abel Tapia’s 36 percent, as voters rewarded his focus on energy jobs and limited government. In 2016, Tipton won with 54.6 percent to Democrat Gail Schwartz’s 40.35 percent, even as the national landscape grew more divisive. The 2018 midterm, often called a blue wave, saw Tipton hold on with 51.52 percent against Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush’s 43.55 percent.

The trend of narrow but consistent Republican wins continued into the 2020s. In 2020, Lauren Boebert, a staunch conservative, defeated Mitsch Bush with 51.27 percent to 45.41 percent, despite pandemic disruptions and expanded mail-in voting that typically favor Democrats. Boebert’s 2022 re-election was the closest yet, edging out Democrat Adam Frisch 50.08 percent to 49.92 percent in what was the nation’s tightest House race. This razor-thin victory highlighted the district’s competitiveness but also the power of the conservative base to turn out when motivated by a fighter.

In 2024, after Boebert switched to the safer 4th District due to personal challenges, Jeff Hurd stepped in as the Republican nominee. He defeated Frisch with 50.80 percent of the vote, a margin that reflected the district’s underlying Republican lean without Boebert’s controversies. Analysts like the Cook Political Report rated the seat as Likely Republican, underscoring the conservative bias.

Presidential voting patterns reinforce this. In 2020, Donald Trump carried CD3 with about 52 percent to Joe Biden’s 46 percent. Similar margins held in 2016 and likely in 2024, showing voters’ preference for conservative policies on borders, taxes, and energy. Over the last 14 years (2010-2024), the average Republican vote share in CD3 general elections has been around 52.5 percent, with dips only when candidates fail to energize the base. Unaffiliated voters, a large bloc in the district, often break right on key issues like gun rights and economic freedom, but they demand authenticity.

These statistics paint a clear picture: CD3 rewards conservatives who stick to principles and punishes those who stray. The brief Democratic hold from 2004-2010 was an anomaly, ended by a unified conservative push. Hurd’s win in 2024 was not a mandate for moderation but a trust in the Republican brand to deliver conservative results.

Hurd's Hard Turn to the Left: From Campaign Promises to Washington Surrender

It does not really come as any surprise that Hurd has shifted left. He was billed as a moderate during the 2024 campaign, emphasizing bipartisanship over bold conservative stands, at a time when Boebert was chased out because of her own antics within her personal life. We have all been there, but Boebert at least fought unapologetically for CD3 values. Hurd, however, has done more to alienate the conservative base than nearly any congressman looking to be reelected.

Since being sworn in, Hurd’s voting record reveals a pattern of compromise that smells like surrender. On GovTrack, Hurd has a moderate conservatism score, voting yea on bills like the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act and the GENIUS Act, but his alliances tell a different story. He has missed only 1.8 percent of votes, but quantity does not equal quality when those votes align with left-wing priorities.

Hurd has supported expansions of federal programs under the guise of bipartisanship, such as joining Democrats on infrastructure deals loaded with debt and green mandates. In a district reliant on fossil fuels, his waffling on energy regulations is unforgivable. He has voted against hardline measures to defund environmental overreach, instead opting for compromises that hurt miners and ranchers.

Aligning with Radical Democrats: Embracing Bennett and Hickenlooper's Agenda

The most damning evidence of Hurd’s leftward drift is his cozy relationship with Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper, Colorado’s radical left-wing mouthpieces. Bennett pushes amnesty for illegals, massive climate spending, and tax hikes to fund big government. Hickenlooper, the ex-governor who turned Colorado into a left-wing playground, echoes the same: sanctuary policies, gun control, and job-killing green deals.

Hurd has joined them on multiple fronts. In February 2025, he introduced “bipartisan” legislation with Bennett and Hickenlooper to compensate communities affected by the Gold King Mine disaster, a move that expands federal payouts without addressing root causes like EPA incompetence. In May, Hurd led the GORP Act alongside Bennett and Hickenlooper, a public lands bill that conservatives criticize for prioritizing environmental restrictions over local control and energy development. This bill reflects strong local input, Hurd claims, but it aligns with Democrat priorities on conservation that often hinder rural economies.

More recently, in August 2025, Hurd united with the entire Colorado delegation, including Bennett and Hickenlooper, to urge the Trump administration to release $140 million for Colorado River crisis funding. While water is vital, this push for federal dollars smacks of big government dependency, not conservative self-reliance. Hurd has also cosponsored bills on judicial reforms and entrepreneur visas that blur party lines, voting yea on measures like the No Rogue Rulings Act and American Entrepreneurs First Act.

On immigration, Hurd has supported extensions for Dreamers without demanding wall funding or enforcement, mirroring Bennett’s amnesty stance. His gun policy waffling includes backing background check tweaks, chipping at Second Amendment rights cherished in CD3’s hunting communities. This is not conservatism. It is RINO politics at its worst.

Alienating the Base: The Consequences of Betrayal

Hurd has alienated the conservative base more than any recent congressman. His bipartisan romances have sparked backlash, with former Colorado GOP vice chair Hope Scheppelman announcing a 2026 primary challenge in July 2025, explicitly criticizing Hurd’s GORP Act collaboration with Democrats as not conservative enough. Scheppelman’s entry signals growing discontent among grassroots Republicans who see Hurd as too moderate. If that is Scheppelman or someone else, because there will be more that announce their bid.

Historical trends warn of danger. When Tipton was viewed as establishment in 2020, Boebert primaried him and won with 54.6 percent, proving the base demands firebrands. Hurd’s approval among Republicans is dipping, with internal polls showing vulnerability. If conservatives stay home in 2026, Democrats like Frisch could flip the seat, as nearly happened in 2022.

Turnout data supports this. High conservative enthusiasm in 2020 pushed turnout over 90 percent in key counties, securing Boebert’s win. Hurd is squandering that. CD3’s identity, from Grand Junction’s energy workers to Pueblo’s veterans, rejects Washington interference. Hurd’s committee work on Natural Resources could defend water rights, but he compromises instead.

Call to Action: Reject Hurd's RINO Brand in 2026

Enough is enough. Voters of CD3, it is time to act. Reject Jeff Hurd’s shift to the left with a resounding NO in 2026. Make it clear we do not want his brand of RINO representing us. Support primary challengers like Hope Scheppelman who vow real conservatism. Volunteer, donate, and vote to send Hurd packing before he gifts the seat to Democrats.

Talk to neighbors, attend town halls, hold Hurd accountable. Remind him CD3’s conservative bias is non-negotiable. Our patterns prove we reward fighters, punish sellouts. Jeff, keep alienating the base, and kiss your future goodbye. We dare you. FAFO. Conservatives are watching, ready to act.

This betrayal ends in 2026. No more moderates. No more left turns. True Constitutionalists Only.

Michael J Badagliacco, “MJB”

Michael is a United States Air Force Veteran, father of five and grandfather of three, passionate about this country and the Constitution. 

Editor-in-Chief, Colorado DOGE Report.