Jeff Hurd qualifies for Colorado GOP primary to replace Lauren Boebert

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Curtis McCrackin's name. Also, the headline of this story has been corrected to reflect that Jeff Hurd is not a new candidate in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District: Hurd just recently qualified for the ballot.

The race to replace Lauren Boebert as the Republican candidate in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District has another confirmed candidate who will appear on June primary ballots.

Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd turned in enough valid petition signatures to qualify for the primary, bringing the number of confirmed candidates to four. Petitions from three other contenders are still pending.

A campaign spokesperson said Hurd is taking, “one step closer to defeating Adam Frisch” and keeping CO-3 as a GOP district.

“Jeff’s message to secure the border, unleash Colorado energy, fight for our water and stand up for Colorado agricultural producers resonates with voters across the district. Jeff is the only candidate with the resources and support necessary to win this November against Frisch and his out of state liberal millionaire funders,” the spokesperson wrote in a text to the Chieftain.

Who else is in the CO-3 race?

At the CO-3 assembly held in Pueblo on April 5, Stephen Varela and Ron Hanks both successfully qualified for the ballot by garnering over 30% of the vote.

Candidates can gain ballot access either by petitioning, garnering support at the assembly or a combination of both.

Varela and Hanks were not circulating petitions, so they each needed at least 30% of support at the assembly.

Russ Andrews is going the combination route. He got more than 10% of support from delegates at the assembly, but is still awaiting the status of his petitions.

Curtis McCrackin is the first candidate to qualify for the ballot solely on petitions. Joe Granado and Lew Webb are still awaiting a decision on their signatures.

“The (Hurd) campaign is proud to officially be on the ballot, and chose to petition on to ensure the voters of the 3rd CD had a candidate and eventual nominee who has the resources to beat Adam Frisch and keep the seat red this fall,” a campaign spokesperson said when asked why Hurd opted for petitioning.

Hurd has led fundraising through 2023

As of Thursday morning, none of the current GOP candidates have filed campaign finance disclosures for the first quarter of 2024 due April 15. But as of the end of 2023, Hurd had raised the most among the Republicans vying for CO-3.

Hurd had already been campaigning and raising money before Lauren Boebert announced her move to Colorado’s 4th Congressional District soon after Christmas last year.

Since Boebert decided to move, several additional candidates launched campaigns for the seat, including Varela and Hanks.

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Jeff Hurd qualifies for Colorado GOP primary to replace Lauren Boebert