U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has yet another primary candidate.
Later today, Grand Junction attorney Jeffery Hurd plans to formally announce his bid for the GOP nomination for the 3rd Congressional District, challenging Boebert and another Republican who also is in next year’s primary race.
“I’ve decided to enter the race to give Republican primary voters an option and a choice,” said Hurd, who describes himself as a principled conservative who believes in limited government, individual rights and the rule of law.
“But I’m also pragmatic,” he added. “I understand that in order to advance those principles we need to advance a message that is optimistic and persuasive and that encourages voters who may not agree with everything that a candidate stands for, but will nevertheless pull the lever and vote for that candidate.”
Hurd, a graduate of Grand Junction High School who went on to become an attorney in town, knows that he has a steep hill to climb to persuade Republican voters to pick him over the incumbent Boebert, who is extremely well known by many voters in the expansive district.
Still, Boebert’s near loss last year to Democrat Adam Frisch by only 546 votes, tells Hurd voters want more, but they still want a conservative to represent them in Congress.
“This seat is very vulnerable in what would otherwise be a very safe seat (for conservatives),” he said. “Being a Republican is in my DNA. I’m not interested in becoming a social media celebrity or in garnering a lot of press. I’m interested in helping families and helping businesses and helping communities.”
After Hurd earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at Notre Dame, he returned to the Western Slope working for the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce. A few years later, he earned his law degree at the University of Denver, and then took a job as a law clerk for then federal appeals court Chief Judge Timothy Tymkovich.
Later, he worked for an international law firm based in New York City, but eventually returned to Grand Junction in 2014 to start his own practice. He now operates the Grand Junction office for one of the state’s largest law firms, Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe.
In his challenge against Boebert, he joins Glenwood Springs resident Russ Andrews.
On the Democratic side, Frisch is running again for his party’s nomination, along with Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, Gunnison resident Debby Burnett, Adam Withrow of Pueblo and David Karpas of Edwards, which isn’t in the district.
