AP Photo/Cliff Owen
- Another Republican has jumped into the Colorado House primary to challenge Rep. Lauren Boebert.
- Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd joins financial advisor Russ Andrews in the 3rd District primary.
- In November 2022, Boebert narrowly won reelection against Adam Frisch in an election night shocker.
Last year, Rep. Lauren Boebert won reelection in what was one of the closest congressional races in the entire country.
So, naturally, Democrats immediately zeroed in on the Colorado Republican's sprawling 3rd congressional district, with the party's 2022 nominee, Adam Frisch, having already announced a rematch earlier this year.
But Boebert will also have to make it through a Republican primary with a new opponent now in the race. Two GOP candidates are now going up against the high-profile conservative congresswoman to secure the party nomination. Boebert first became a national figure due to her gun-themed restaurant, Shooter's Grill, which operated from 2013 until 2022 in Rifle, Colo., along with her outspoken anti-abortion views.
Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd, a former board chair of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, jumped into the GOP primary on Wednesday.
"I've decided to enter the race to give Republican primary voters an option and a choice," Hurd told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. "This seat is very vulnerable in what would otherwise be a very safe seat (for conservatives). 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," he continued.
Hurd joins financial advisor Russ Andrews in the GOP primary.
On Andrews' website, a message reads: "I Stand For Freedom, The 2nd Amendment And What's Right For Our Community. Let's Bring Drama Free And Logic Based Solutions Back To Colorado District 3."
In the Democratic primary, Frisch — a former Aspen city councilman — is joined by Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout and candidates Debby Burnett, David Karpas, and Adam Withrow.
Last November, Boebert defeated Frisch by only 546 votes out of roughly 327,000 ballots cast.
Frisch is running as a moderate in a district that former President Donald Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, and many Republicans believe the conservative lean of the district is poised to give them a boost in a presidential election year.