Ten candidates are running in the Republican primary in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District on June 25, 2024. Four lead in fundraising, endorsements, and local media attention: Russ Andrews (R), Ron Hanks (R), Jeff Hurd (R), and Stephen Varela (R).
Incumbent Lauren Boebert (R) is running for re-election in the 4th District, leaving the 3rd District open. According to Colorado Public Radio, Boebert’s move to a new district “inverted the race from a question of whether Democrat Adam Frisch could close a 546-vote gap in November, to an existential one about who Republicans in Western and Southern Colorado will nominate to see the party forward.”
Andrews is a financial advisor and former engineer. Andrews says he is running “to restore Western Slope and Rural Colorado Values,” saying he stands for “God, country, family, prosperity, a light regulatory touch and retention of our property rights.” Andrews says his “first priority when he reaches Congress will be to reach out to every other Congressperson and Senator to find common ground on legislation he is proposing.” According to the Aspen Daily News, “the core of Andrews’ message is he will vote based on what’s good for his district, not what’s best for his party.”
Hanks is a former state legislator and veteran of the U.S. armed forces. Hanks says he is “the only proven conservative republican state legislator running,” saying he had a record of service in the legislature and the military and had worked on issues including border security, election security, and opposing restrictions on firearms. Hanks ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, losing to Joe O’Dea (R) 54.4%–45.5% in the Republican primary.
Hurd is an attorney and manager of the Grand Junction office of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe PC. Hurd says he is running “because he feels western and southern Colorado deserve a sincere, authentic, and hardworking Congressman. Someone who cares about policy and delivering results for communities and for working families.” According to Colorado Public Radio, “Hurd is considered by many to be the frontrunner to succeed Boebert…in part because Hurd began to rack up endorsements even before Boebert switched districts.”
Varela is a member of the Colorado Board of Education and a veteran of the U.S. Army. Varela says he is running “to stand for American greatness and common-sense conservative policies in Congress.” Varela says he supports “Donald Trump’s freedom agenda: fix the border mess, lower the cost of living, create more good American jobs, and stop and reverse the woke agenda.”
Also running in the primary are Jason Bias (R), Joe Granado (R), Robin Heid (R), Curtis McCrackin (R), Austin O’Connell (R), and Lew Webb (R).
As of April 19, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales each rated the general election Lean Republican. In 2022, Boebert defeated Adam Frisch (D) 50.1%–49.9%.
All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 217 to 213 majority with five vacancies. As of April 2024, 43 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 44.7% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 52.9%.
