‘I believe in the voters’

ALAMOSA — In the last days of 2023 when Republican Congresswoman Boebert switched districts from CD3 to CD4, the landscape of the 2024 congressional campaign season changed. And that was true for no one more so than Republican Jeff Hurd.

In a single day, the thoughtful, soft-spoken attorney from Grand Junction went from challenging a nationally known incumbent for his party’s nomination to what appears to be, at this point, the top contender most likely to run as the Republican candidate in 2024.

According to his website, Hurd grew up “an average kid,” in Grand Junction. The oldest of three boys, his father was a psychologist working with low-income patients. His mother passed away while he was in high school but had raised him and his siblings to “value self-sacrifice, integrity, and to always strive to be part of the solution.”

After graduating from high school, he attended Notre Dame University and, later, the University of Denver for law school where he graduated with high honors. After working for several years later, Hurd obtained an advanced law degree from Columbia Law School, again with high honors.

But when asked about his background, the political newcomer does not immediately go to those accomplishments that make him most qualified for the job. Instead, he talks about his roots, his family, and those issues most important to him.

“I’m a native of Colorado and grew up in this district. I’m a family man. I’ve been married to my wife, Barbora, for 18 years and we have five children together. I was chairman of the board of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The primary issues I’m running on are securing the border, economic development, energy independence and protecting water and ag, and that’s including the San Luis Valley. I know water’s critical to the people I’ve met there and I’m serious about that, as well.

“I’m working to be a sincere and hardworking representative in Congress who brings a reasonable voice to conversations. I think rural Colorado is being left behind. Our best resource is our kids who leave and don’t come back. I would like to be a member of Congress who can create opportunities so that our children and grandchildren can — if they want — stay and live and be successful in rural Western Colorado.”

When asked if he had any aspirations to go into politics before Boebert was elected, Hurd doesn’t hesitate.

“No. I thought perhaps I might consider the judiciary at some point, but I had better sense than to jump into politics,” he says.

When asked what happened to that “better sense”, Hurd says, “I felt called to serve the district that I grew up in. I felt the voters deserved a sincere and credible Republican choice in the election.”

The race in the district is already targeted by national media as one to watch due to how close the results were in 2022. When asked how it feels to be a political newcomer in the national spotlight, he says, “There certainly is a spotlight.”

“I jumped into this race focused on the issues that will help families and businesses and communities in rural Colorado thrive. Whatever attention comes to the race, my focus remains on the issues.”

Hurd has been described as the most competitive candidate in a field of 8-10 contenders. Does he see himself as a politician?

“I see myself as a Coloradan, a father, a husband, and a Christian. I’ve never run for anything before. I would describe myself as a citizen legislator. I’m not a career politician. I don’t like that Washington D.C. has become a retirement center for people in Congress, and I don’t plan to stay in Congress any longer that what is needed to accomplish results for western Colorado,” he says.

When asked for an example of what those results would be, he speaks of the crisis at the border and the need to stop the influx of fentanyl, crime and people coming into the country illegally.

As far as energy independence, he says the kind of results he hopes to achieve would not be results that would show up in the headlines of national newspapers, but instead local newspapers serving local communities with “jobs created, opportunities made and things that are of benefit to working families and rural communities.”

He cites the Craig Power Plant in Moffat County that owners plan to shut down by 2030.

“I’d like to see that coal powered plant transitioned to natural gas or nuclear to save the jobs of the people who work there. That wouldn’t make national news, but I’m not interested in national attention. I want to focus on what helps rural Colorado,” he says.

Hurd also notes that he’s an electric utilities attorney representing rural co-operatives as well as other businesses and agencies involved in infrastructure. While he may not be an expert, he’s familiar with issues like energy and water.

Hurd was then asked what has become a defining question. Does he believe the 2020 election was stolen?

He hesitates just for a moment but doesn’t dodge the question.

“I have not seen any sign of fraud to the scale that would impact the 2020 election,” he says.

When asked about the current state of Congress, he says, “There’s vast room for improvement and I want to be part of the solution. I’m not out to make national headlines. I believe we need a Congress that follows the rule of law, is effective at passing laws but also removing laws that are harmful to Colorado and the decisions we make. We need to get back to ordinary budgeting, like separate appropriations bills. I share frustration with the dysfunction, and I don’t want to increase the tension. I want to decrease it.”

He also emphasizes that he’s a conservative.

“I’m a Reagan Republican. I believe in being fiscally conservative, limited government, free enterprise, and the rule of law,” he says.

He goes on to say that his wife, Barbora, is originally from Czechoslovakia and grew up under communism. She was also present when communism fell.

“She appreciates in a deeply personal way democracy and the rule of law. Through her eyes I’ve come to appreciate in a much deeper way what it means to be an American,” he says.

Hurd frequently uses the word “reasonable”. Is there room for reasonable people in national politics today?

“I believe in the voters in this district,” he says. “This is where I was raised. And I hope they’ll see someone who reflects their values, is independent minded, conservative and recognizes the importance of moving rural Colorado forward because we’re being left behind.

“If you want to govern as a Republican, you have to win elections as a Republican and that can’t happen with people who just have Rs behind their name. If the only people who vote in general elections for us are Republican, we aren’t going to be successful.

“We have to appeal to fellow citizens who are unaffiliated and conservative Democrats. I think we can do that with a message that is optimistic and inspiring and solution oriented. I think that’s the kind of Republican I am, and I have a lot of confidence in the voters in this district where I was raised. I believe in them,” he says.