Jeff Hurd Wins Colorado 3rd District Race Against Dwayne Romero

The wind off the Arkansas River cuts through the parking lot of Mama Ree’s in Grand Junction. It’s November. The aspens along the riverbank have already dropped their leaves, leaving the branches bare against a gray sky. Inside, the hum of conversation is low. People watch the screens. They wait.

The wait ends at 9:24 a.m. Friday.

The Associated Press calls the race. Jeff Hurd wins. He holds Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. He keeps it in the GOP’s hands.

Read that again. Hurd wins.

The margin is thin. Hurd takes 49.29% of the votes tallied. Dwayne Romero, the Democratic challenger, takes 47.44%. Romero is a former Aspen City Council member. He fought hard. He didn’t win.

Two other candidates split the rest. Cory Robertson, the Libertarian, gets 1.67%. Clifton Brown, unaffiliated, gets 1.6%. It’s a four-way race in a two-party world. The math is messy. The result is clear.

Hurd is on track to be the lone Republican in Colorado’s congressional delegation. Make no mistake. This matters. The three other Republican members of Congress from Colorado have been defeated or are headed for defeat. Hurd stands alone. He is the top elected GOP official in Colorado.

He spoke in a written statement Friday. He was touring flood damage in southwestern Colorado.

“I’m grateful to the people of Colorado’s 3rd District for placing their trust in me again,” Hurd said. “I also want to thank Dwayne Romero for a hard-fought campaign, his service to our country and his willingness to step forward to serve.”

He added: “Whether you voted for me or not, I will continue working hard for every corner of this district. There is a lot of work ahead, and I’m ready to get back to it.”

Note what he isn’t saying. He doesn’t mention Trump. He doesn’t mention the party. He talks about trust. He talks about work. He talks to everyone. He talks to the people who didn’t vote for him. That’s politics. That’s survival.

The district is competitive. It leans conservative. Trump won it by 10 points in 2024. But Democrats see opportunity. Gov. Jared Polis won the district by 3 points in 2022. Hurd won by 5 points in 2024. The margin shrinks. The race tightens.

Hurd’s campaign touted his disagreements with Trump. He positioned himself as independent. He appealed to the district’s streak. He ran against the tide. He rode it. He won.

He serves a second term. The district covers most of Colorado west of the Continental Divide. It curls around in the south. It encompasses Pueblo. It includes chunks of southern Colorado. It’s big. It’s diverse. It’s hard to govern.

Hurd is an attorney. He was a small business owner. He lives in Grand Junction. He has a wife. He has five children. He’s local. He’s known. He’s trusted.

The 3rd District has been represented by a Republican since 2011. It’s held. It’s secure. It’s not safe.

Boebert faced a tough challenge in 2022. Her race against Adam Frisch was decided by fewer than 600 votes. It was close. It was tight. It was decided.

Hurd fended off Romero. He kept the seat. He kept the party. He kept the power.

The short version: Hurd wins. Romero loses. The GOP holds. The district stays red. The state goes blue.

Worth watching: what Hurd does next. He’s alone. He’s top. He’s free. He’s bound.

The story is told. The race is over. The winner is known. The loser is counted. The district is safe. The party is strong. The man is ready.

He’s ready to get back to it.