In the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from northwest Moffat County across most of the Western Slope and east to Pueblo, Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd is emphasizing his record of independence as he seeks re-election. Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney who has held the seat since January 2025, described the district as “one of the most politically diverse districts in the country as well as one of the most economically diverse.”
Hurd, 47, stated he aims to put his district first and is willing to be independent, even when it goes against his party or leadership. His Democratic challenger, Dwayne Romero, a 61-year-old former Aspen City Council member and Army veteran, argues that Hurd’s actions do not align with this independent stance and seeks to connect Hurd to broader Republican policies that Romero believes are unpopular. Romero recalled hearing “frustration and this growing distrust of the [Trump] administration itself and our representative and how he’s behaved” during a recent town hall in Grand Junction.
Since taking office, Hurd has presented himself as a moderate conservative, a shift from his predecessor, Rep. Lauren Boebert. Hurd gained national attention earlier this year when President Donald Trump initially withdrew his endorsement after Hurd voted with House Democrats to overturn Trump’s tariffs on Canada. Trump later re-endorsed Hurd at the urging of House Republican leadership, though Hurd’s team stated they did not seek the president's support. Hurd said he voted against the tariff policy due to concerns it was negatively impacting industries on the Western Slope, explaining, “Where I can work with the [Trump] administration, which is on the majority of issues, we work well together, and where we disagree, I do so in a way that stands up for my district.”
Hurd has also diverged from his party on other issues. In January, he was among a few House Republicans who voted to restore subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to prevent health insurance premium increases. While that measure did not pass the Republican-controlled Senate, Hurd expressed openness to collaborating with Democrats again on a temporary revival of the subsidies to keep healthcare affordable. Additionally, Hurd co-sponsored a conservation bill for western Colorado with Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper.
Romero, however, contends that these actions are not representative of Hurd’s overall record. He cited Hurd’s July 2025 vote to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a Republican megabill that enacted much of Trump’s second-term domestic policy agenda, as a clear example where Hurd “said one thing and done another.” Hurd has praised the core tax cut extensions and expansions within the megabill, which the Tax Foundation, a free-market-focused think tank, estimated saved the average U.S. taxpayer around $2,300 this year.
Romero criticized the megabill’s effects on federal lands and social safety net programs. Although Hurd opposed provisions that would have forced the sale of millions of acres of public lands in the West, which were ultimately removed, he supported parts of the bill that opened more federal acres to oil and gas leasing. Romero opposes such actions, stating his position is “not to sell off or lease off one more square foot of public land.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects the megabill will cut Medicaid funding by over $1 trillion and reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $187 billion to $287 billion. Western Slope counties have voiced concerns about implementing the megabill’s Medicaid changes next year, including new work requirements, and healthcare providers fear eligible recipients could lose coverage. Hurd, whose district has the most Medicaid recipients in Colorado, agreed Congress should address local government concerns regarding implementation. However, he defended the Medicaid changes as “common sense” reforms to ensure coverage for vulnerable populations while managing government spending.
Romero stated that a top priority in Congress would be reversing the megabill’s social safety net cuts, calling the restoration of Medicaid funding an “urgent, red-light emergency.” He also indicated a focus on building Democratic consensus for longer-term healthcare policy, emphasizing the need for “access to affordable healthcare in the here and now.”
On some issues, Hurd and Romero share common ground. Both candidates support banning members of Congress from trading and owning stocks, a concern Hurd said he hears from voters regarding government integrity. Romero also noted voter frustration over a lack of government accountability and listed stock trading as an example, while also accusing the White House of “blatant corruption” enabled by the Republican-controlled Congress.
Romero also highlighted deficit reduction as a key issue that he believes is not receiving adequate attention. The national debt reached $40 trillion in August, and the megabill passed last year is projected to add $4.5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, according to Romero. He said he would concentrate on areas where government spending could be reduced and revenue increased. Hurd’s priorities for a second term include creating jobs in his district and lowering the cost of living, issues he believes will not be solved by “another government program” and emphasized the need for more affordable energy.