Lauren Boebert's replacement in her old district vows to be different — but not by much

27 December 2024

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado speaking in Phoenix in December 2021 (Gage Skidmore)

U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd will soon take over representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District after four years of representation by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.

While the 45-year-old Grand Junction Republican said he has “a different style” than Boebert, he said they will have similar priorities when it comes to the district’s needs. The district encompasses the Western Slope and the southwest corner of the state, sweeping east to include Pueblo, Otero and Las Animas counties. Hurd beat Democrat Adam Frisch in the November election with 50.8% of the district’s vote over Frisch’s 45.8%.

“When it comes to the issues, I think we’re going to be working together,” Hurd said of Boebert, a MAGA provocateur who is heading back to Congress from a new district. “I think a lot of the issues that mattered to the 3rd Congressional District when she was representing it will continue to matter to the 3rd Congressional District, and I think we’re going to fight to make sure that we advance sound economic policies that grow our economy, that create opportunities for families and for small businesses.”

Hurd said when he gets to Congress he will work to secure the border, grow the energy economy in the 3rd District, and protect Colorado’s water and agricultural resources. He’s “waiting to see” what President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration and deportation plans look like, he said, as he hasn’t yet seen plans that are specific enough to judge.

“Certainly, I am in support of bringing to justice and deporting criminals, violent criminals. I think that needs to be a priority first and foremost,” Hurd said. “Beyond that, I think we need to wait and see what exactly the Trump administration is proposing.”

The last Trump administration moved the national headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management and its senior officials from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, but the Biden administration reversed that move while keeping the agency’s “Western headquarters” in the town. Some Trump allies have called for the headquarters to be relocated to the West again.

Hurd said he would support moving the agency’s headquarters back to Grand Junction. While he isn’t sure when or how that move might happen, Hurd said he’s encouraged by the support for a return he’s heard from other elected officials in the 3rd District and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat.

“I think the decision makers should be here in the West where the lands are managed, and where they can be in closer contact with the people most affected by the decisions that this federal agency makes,” Hurd said. “I know this is an issue that is important for my district, it’s important for our state, and it has support across the aisle politically as well, which is encouraging.”

First and foremost: water

Hurd said he’ll also have to wait and see the details of what Trump has proposed in terms of tariffs, though he does have “some concerns about blanket tariffs and the impact that could have on our economy.” He said the U.S. can use tariffs “strategically and thoughtfully” to make sure the country has its own resources and doesn’t “become too reliant on other countries, particularly when it comes to some critical minerals and resources.”

“I think there’s definitely a role that we can have in deploying tariffs strategically to not only right trade imbalances, but also advance America’s national interest and national security priorities as well,” Hurd said.

Trump has said he will impose sweeping 25% tariffs on major American trade partners including Mexico, Canada and China as part of his efforts to bring down the cost of living. Economic experts say Trump’s proposals will hurt American families’ wallets with more expensive cars, appliances and technology.

Trump also said he will have tech billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to cut government spending and federal workforce. Hurd said the idea is encouraging and that he’s curious to see what the pair leading the effort proposes. Making government more efficient and cutting spending are “two very important priorities” in the coming years, he said.

Colorado’s new members of Congress spend the time between Election Day and Jan. 3, when they’re sworn in, transitioning constituent services and setting up offices in their districts and D.C. Hurd will serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and the House Committee on Natural Resources alongside Boebert and U.S. Rep.-elect Jeff Crank, a Colorado Springs Republican.

Hurd is one of three freshman Republicans heading to Congress from Colorado in January. Of the four congressional Republicans from Colorado in the new term, Boebert is the only incumbent, though she will now represent the 4th District. Crank will represent Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, and U.S. Rep.-elect Gabe Evans will represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.

“I’m excited to work with all of them, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us to do good things for not only our districts, but for our state,” Hurd said. “I’m also encouraged by the opportunities to collaborate with our colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle as well.”

Hurd said he has already met with U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat who serves as the assistant minority leader in the House, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Centennial, and Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, and he looks forward to working across the aisle with Colorado’s Democrats on issues important to the whole state.

“I think there’s an opportunity to work together as a Colorado delegation on issues that aren’t partisan, but that matter to all of us as Coloradans — first and foremost would be water and protecting that precious resource,” Hurd said.

Hurd said his constituents are concerned about issues that affect their lives daily, including the cost of food, housing and energy. He said they also want leaders to secure the border, protect social security and Medicare, and ensure veterans get quality care.

After Hurd’s election night watch party, the Grand Junction Sentinel reported members of the media were “sequestered” in a curtained area separate from other attendees and had to be escorted anytime they left the area. Hurd said he hopes “to be open and accessible and responsive” to the media, particularly local media outlets in the 3rd District, which he said are a great way to reach his constituents. He said he also plans to be accessible to his constituents, hosting town halls and answering their questions.

“Effective communication is at the heart of making sure that the citizens of the 3rd Congressional District know what their representative is doing on their behalf in Washington and how I will be working for them,” Hurd said. “I look forward to engaging with those I represent, whether or not they voted for me, and hearing what their concerns are, what their questions are, what their priorities are and how I can best help.”

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Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com.

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