Jeff Hurd

Jeff Hurd
Born	Jeffrey Stephen Hurd 15 8, 1979
Birthplace	Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Known for	U.S. Representative for Colorado's 3rd congressional district
Spouse(s)	Barbora Hurd
Children	5
Website	[hurd.house.gov Official site]

Jeffrey Stephen Hurd (born August 15, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 3rd congressional district since January 3, 2025. A Republican from Grand Junction, Colorado, Hurd built a career as a water and natural resources attorney in western Colorado before entering politics. He first announced his candidacy in 2023, initially running to challenge incumbent Lauren Boebert, and ultimately won the seat after Boebert switched to a different congressional district. Hurd's first term in Congress has been marked by his appointment to the House Committee on Natural Resources and membership in the Congressional Western Caucus, as well as a notable break with President Donald Trump over tariff policy in February 2026, which led Trump to publicly withdraw his endorsement of Hurd. Hurd represents one of the largest congressional districts in Colorado by geographic area, encompassing much of the western and southern portions of the state, including communities reliant on agriculture, energy, mining, and outdoor recreation.

Early Life

Jeffrey Stephen Hurd was born on August 15, 1979, in Grand Junction, Colorado. He grew up in the Grand Valley region of western Colorado, an area defined by its high desert landscape, irrigated agriculture, and proximity to the Colorado River. Grand Junction, the largest city on Colorado's Western Slope, served as the commercial hub for a region where water rights, public land management, and energy development have long been central to the local economy and political discourse.

Hurd's upbringing in western Colorado shaped his later professional focus on water law and natural resources issues. According to his campaign biography, he developed an appreciation for the land and water challenges facing rural western communities from an early age. The region's dependence on Colorado River water allocations and the tensions between agricultural, municipal, and environmental water users would later become a defining element of his legal career.

Hurd remained rooted in western Colorado throughout his adult life, raising a family of five children with his wife, Barbora, in Grand Junction. His decision to remain in the community where he grew up, rather than relocating to the Front Range, distinguished him as a candidate with deep ties to the district he would later seek to represent in Congress.

Education

Hurd pursued higher education before returning to western Colorado to practice law. According to publicly available biographical records, he earned a law degree and subsequently established himself as an attorney in Grand Junction. His legal education provided the foundation for a career specializing in water law, natural resources, and related regulatory matters — fields of particular relevance to the communities of western Colorado.

Career

Legal Career

Before entering politics, Hurd worked as an attorney in Grand Junction, where he specialized in water law and natural resources issues. Water law in Colorado operates under the doctrine of prior appropriation, a complex legal framework that governs how water is allocated among competing users across the state. Hurd's legal practice placed him at the intersection of agricultural water rights, municipal water supply, energy development, and environmental regulation — all matters of significant concern to the residents of western Colorado.

His work as a water attorney gave Hurd professional expertise in issues that are central to the politics of Colorado's 3rd congressional district, where disputes over water allocation from the Colorado River and its tributaries, management of federal public lands, and the future of the energy sector are perennial topics of debate. This background would later form a key part of his platform when he entered the congressional race.

2024 Congressional Campaign

Hurd entered the race for Colorado's 3rd congressional district in August 2023, announcing his candidacy as a Republican challenger to incumbent Representative Lauren Boebert. His entry into the race came amid growing discontent among some Republican voters in the district with Boebert's tenure, which had been marked by national controversies and a narrower-than-expected victory margin in the 2022 general election.

The dynamics of the race shifted significantly when Boebert announced that she would not seek reelection in the 3rd district, instead choosing to run in Colorado's 4th congressional district, which had been redrawn following the 2020 census and was considered a safer Republican seat. Boebert's departure from the 3rd district transformed the Republican primary into an open-seat contest, attracting multiple candidates.

Hurd ran on a platform emphasizing his roots in western Colorado, his professional expertise in water and natural resources law, and a commitment to addressing the practical concerns of the district's residents, including water security, public land access, energy development, and rural economic issues. He positioned himself as a solutions-oriented conservative with deep knowledge of the policy issues most relevant to the sprawling, largely rural district.

Hurd won the Republican primary, securing the party's nomination for the general election. In the November 2024 general election, Hurd defeated his Democratic opponent to win the seat representing Colorado's 3rd congressional district. The official results were certified by the Colorado Secretary of State.

U.S. House of Representatives

Hurd took office on January 3, 2025, succeeding Lauren Boebert as the representative for Colorado's 3rd congressional district. He was assigned to the House Committee on Natural Resources, a committee assignment consistent with his professional background and the priorities of his district. He also joined the Congressional Western Caucus, a bipartisan caucus focused on issues affecting the western United States, including public land management, water policy, and energy development.

His committee assignments and caucus memberships reflected the priorities he had articulated during his campaign, centering on natural resources, water, energy, and the concerns of rural western communities.

Medicaid

In April 2025, Hurd joined a bipartisan letter opposing proposed cuts to Medicaid, a significant program for many residents of his largely rural district where access to healthcare is a persistent concern. The decision to sign the letter signaled a willingness to break with elements of the Republican legislative agenda on issues directly affecting his constituents.

Tariff Vote and Loss of Trump Endorsement

In February 2026, Hurd voted against President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, a decision that placed him among a small number of House Republicans who opposed a central element of the administration's trade policy. The tariffs had significant implications for agricultural producers and other industries in Colorado's 3rd district that depend on cross-border trade with Canada.

On February 21, 2026, President Trump publicly withdrew his endorsement of Hurd, citing the congressman's "lack of support" on tariffs. Trump subsequently threw his support behind Hope Scheppelman, a more conservative challenger, for the Republican primary in the 2026 election cycle.

The withdrawal of Trump's endorsement was widely covered in national and Colorado media. The New York Times characterized the move as Trump "punishing a Republican who opposed his tariffs." Bloomberg reported that the decision came after Hurd voted against the administration's tariff measures on Canada. The Hill noted that the endorsement withdrawal was directly tied to Hurd's tariff stance and that Hurd's primary challenger stood to benefit from Trump's support. Newsweek described Hurd as a "first-term" congressman who had crossed the president on a key policy priority.

The episode illustrated the tensions within the Republican caucus between members representing districts with specific economic interests — such as agricultural trade with Canada — and the broader party alignment with Trump's tariff agenda. Analysis published by Alternet noted that Trump had previously praised Hurd before the tariff disagreement, highlighting what the outlet described as the "impossible political needle" facing Republican members of Congress who attempt to balance constituent interests with presidential loyalty.

The loss of Trump's endorsement set up a potentially competitive Republican primary for the 2026 midterm elections, with Hurd facing a challenge from Scheppelman, who received Trump's backing.

Personal Life

Jeff Hurd lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, with his wife, Barbora Hurd, and their five children. The family has remained in the Grand Junction area, where Hurd practiced law before his election to Congress. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of the religious affiliations of members of the 119th Congress, Hurd is among the members whose faith background has been documented as part of the broader study of religion in the U.S. legislature.

Hurd's roots in western Colorado have been a consistent theme of his public identity, both as a lawyer and as a political candidate. His decision to remain in Grand Junction rather than relocating to a larger metropolitan area was noted during his 2024 campaign as evidence of his connection to the communities he sought to represent.

Recognition

As a first-term member of Congress, Hurd's tenure has drawn significant national attention primarily in the context of the February 2026 tariff vote and the subsequent withdrawal of President Trump's endorsement. The episode was covered by major national outlets including The New York Times, NBC News, Bloomberg, The Hill, Newsweek, and The Denver Post, among others.

His appointment to the House Committee on Natural Resources was noted as a significant placement for a freshman member representing a district where natural resources policy is of central importance. His membership in the Congressional Western Caucus further established his profile as a representative focused on issues affecting the western United States.

Within Colorado, Hurd's 2024 campaign and subsequent election drew attention as part of the broader political realignment in the state's 3rd congressional district following Lauren Boebert's decision to switch to a different district. Media outlets including the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado Newsline, and Alamosa News covered his campaign and election.