Republican incumbent Jeff Hurd will return to congress after navigating the blue wave that saw at least two of his Colorado Republican colleagues lose their seats this cycle.
Hurd was declared the winner of the 3rd Congressional District around 9:30 a.m. Friday after a lengthy ballot tabulation process. The victory sends Hurd back to Congress for his second term and bucks a trend that saw Republican incumbents sent home by voters.
Republican Gabe Evans of Colorado’s 8th Congressional District and Republican Jeff Crank from the 5th both lost their seats. Lauren Boebert is currently trailing a narrow race in the 4th Congressional District.
As of Friday morning, Hurd led by a little more than 6,000 votes over Democratic challenger Dwayne Romero.
While touring flood damage in southwestern Colorado on Friday, Hurd told CPR News he was looking forward to continuing his work in Congress.
“I’m going to keep fighting harder to make sure that I’m a voice of independence and I’m going to work to be even more effective and responsive and make sure that I’m doing everything I can to help the hardworking families in this district,” Hurd said.
Should Democrat Eileen Laubacher hold her narrow lead in Colorado’s 4th District, Hurd would become the only Republican in Colorado’s Congressional delegation.
“If that’s how it ends up, it’s a little bit surreal. And I think there’s a message for us as Republicans that we need to make sure we are focused on what we need to focus on,” Hurd said. “And that’s making sure that we’re making life better for families in western and southern Colorado.”
In a social media post, Romero said he’d called Hurd to congratulate him on reelection and thanked his volunteers.
“I will never give up fighting for what is right. I hope you won’t either,” Romero wrote.
Hurd’s reelection comes with a narrower margin than he enjoyed in 2024. During that race, Hurd was sent to Congress with a margin of just under 20,000 votes.
CPR’s Kevin Beaty contributed reporting. This is a developing story and will be updated.
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