Republican Jeff Hurd has beat Democrat Adam Frisch in the 3rd Congressional District contest that decided who will succeed U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert after her district switch.
Frisch conceded to Hurd on Wednesday at about 3:30 p.m. By then, Hurd had just over 50% of the vote to Frisch’s 46.8%, with 354,331 votes counted.
“I told voters — and I intend to follow up on that promise — that securing the border will be a top priority, growing our energy economy and protecting water and agriculture, so those are going to be my top priorities when I’m sworn in,” Hurd said in a phone interview.
On Wednesday afternoon, he described himself as “a little tired, but very happy and excited to move on to serving this district where I was raised and where I’m raising my family.”
To Coloradans, including his constituents in District 3, “they can expect a sincere, hardworking, authentic representative who will never forget where he came from and who he’s serving,” Hurd said.
The Cook Political Report, which provides nonpartisan analyses of electoral races, ranked the race as one that leaned Republican. That was a shift from its former ranking as “likely Republican,” which made it more competitive for Frisch.
ELECTION RESULTS: Live Colorado election results for the 2024 election
The other two candidates on the ballot were the Unity Party of Colorado’s Adam Withrow and James Wiley, a Libertarian.
District 3 encompasses much of the Western Slope. A handful of cities — Grand Junction, Pueblo, Aspen, Durango and Glenwood Springs — also fall within its jurisdiction.
The area tends to vote red, but Frisch put up a fight in 2022 against Boebert, losing only by about 500 votes. Since then, Boebert has left the 3rd District to focus on succeeding U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in the Eastern Plains’ conservative 4th District.
Hurd, an attorney in Grand Junction, won the GOP primary with around 41% of the vote. Former State Rep. Ron Hanks trailed at No. 2 with almost 29%, followed by former Colorado State Board of Education member Stephen Varela with close to 10%.
Frisch, who previously served as an Aspen city councilman, won the Democratic primary in June uncontested.
He ran on a platform focused on protecting the local water supply, helping families afford household necessities and addressing immigration issues, according to the candidate questionnaire he answered for The Denver Post.
“A few moments ago, I called to offer my congratulations to Jeff Hurd for being the next Representative for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District,” Frisch said in a news release. “While we were not victorious, I believe that this campaign was part of an important movement that seeks to turn the political temperature down and start focusing on the real challenges that face communities like the ones in CD3.”
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
