Colorado Republicans are few and far between these days. Democrats have made steady gains in and around the Rockies, forcing the handful of Republicans left to band together, even if they find themselves in office almost by accident and running to replace one another.
That’s how Colorado Republican Rep.-elect Jeff Hurd found himself walking around the Capitol, telling Associate Editor Hailey Bullis he is prepared to spend time in Washington, D.C., working with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), a woman he stumbled into politics to replace.
Hurd called himself an “accidental politician” when he sat down with Hailey during freshman orientation last month. The plan was never really to get into politics, “but ultimately, where my wife landed, and where I landed, is this would be a tremendous honor to serve. It’s where I was raised, and we’re raising our children,” Hurd said. “We thought voters deserve a choice in both the primary and in the general election, and I felt called to give them that choice and to serve the district that I call home.”
The Washington Examiner has looked at a huge range of characters joining the House and Senate next year as part of our sprawling Capitol’s new crop series. This morning, Hailey has a deep dive on the intriguing status of a fresh-faced Republican from a blue state who is a political novice getting thrown into one of the most turbulent political scenes in recent history.
“An attorney at Denver-based law firm Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, Hurd launched his congressional bid against Boebert in August 2023, saying in his campaign announcement that the district needed someone who is ‘committed to consensus-building and has a proven track record of being part of the solution, not creating more problems,’” Hailey wrote.
Boebert had been all over the map in terms of attracting attention and trying to lurk in the shadows to survive. She burst onto the scene as a brash ally of President-elect Donald Trump, who touted her Second Amendment bonafides, and picked fights with members of the “Squad.”
But a narrow victory over Democratic challenger Adam Frisch, a messy divorce, and a lurid public night out that ended in her being asked to leave a production of Beetlejuice with her date drew Hurd to challenge her this cycle.
The pair never ended up facing off as Boebert left her 3rd District contest to run in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a friendlier contest she wound up winning, leaving Hurd to beat Frisch by a much more comfortable margin than Boebert managed two years ago.
Now, the one-time challenger finds himself in a position in which he will be working alongside Boebert, something he said he doesn’t think will be a problem.
“Her new district is a rural district; her old district, my new district, is also a rural district. And so think when it comes to the issues and the things that matter, especially the border, inflation, government spending, energy — I think you’ll find that I am a conservative Republican legislator as well,” Hurd said. “My style might be a little bit different, but when it comes to substance, I think there’s a lot more alignment than it might appear, at least on the surface, and I guess we’ll have to see how that plays out in the next Congress.”
Hurd’s entrance comes at an interesting time for Democrats from Colorado. The state is far from being considered a battleground, but officials there are doing more than grumbling about President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO), a possible 2028 presidential contender, was the first big-name Democrat to express frustration with Biden for the move, saying it was setting a “bad precedent” that is going to “tarnish his reputation.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) chimed in on Monday with more criticism, blasting Biden for putting “personal interest ahead of duty” and saying the decision “erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.”
Hurd hasn’t spoken up about Biden. He has maintained a low profile before coming to Washington, including not picking up an endorsement from Trump during his campaign.
He won’t have to speak up as loudly as Boebert once did to get Trump’s attention, though it’s not clear how keenly the accidental politician is seeking out that kind of attention.
Click here to read more about what to expect from Jeff Hurd in the 119th Congress.
Can Trump Kash in?
Senate Republicans haven’t been as pliant to Trump’s plans for his Cabinet as critics assumed. Their public hesitation to say they would let former Rep. Matt Gaetz waltz through the confirmation process to be the next attorney general forced him out of the position eight days after his nomination.
Trump, or advisers close to him, might have suggested Gaetz could be a sacrificial lamb of sorts, giving senators an opportunity to show a degree of independence by slapping down a nominee while ushering others along without a public spat.
They might also be more jealous guardians of their advice and consent powers than Trump and his loyalists expect.
Trump is trying to find out by asking them to confirm Kash Patel as the next director of the FBI. So far, Patel doesn’t appear to be headed for the Gaetz treatment, though his loudest critics wish he would.
Trump’s announcement that he wants Patel to run the FBI is an implicit warning he is preparing to remove FBI Director Christopher Wray from the post before his 10-year term is completed.
Patel is a controversial character who, like Gaetz, has a track record of loyalty to Trump, but he doesn’t come with the associated baggage. He is a fierce partisan, though one who hasn’t alienated lawmakers on the Hill or attracted accusations of sexual assault.
Congress and Campaigns Editor David Sivak spoke with senators on Monday as they returned to work after the Thanksgiving recess. Some of them are open to confirming Patel. Others are keeping their cards hidden for the time being while vetting takes place in the background before confirmation hearings start next year.
“I’m going in with a presumptively positive opinion about him,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Judiciary Committee, told David.
The two share a “slash-and-burn mentality that turned Senate Republicans off,” David wrote, but his willingness to buck the system is attractive to others.
“We really do need people that will go in and shake up some of these organizations, and certainly the FBI is one that has demonstrated they need somebody that will go in and clean it up,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) told David.
And others are reserving judgment until they get to sit down and talk with him rather than relying on word of mouth to determine his fitness for the position.
“He’s like all the other nominees,” Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the incoming Senate majority leader, told David. “He’ll get a process and a confirmation hearing and vetting and everything else.”
“My job is to make sure that the nominees have a thorough and fair process,” he added. “And, ultimately, our members are going to decide.”
Click here to read more about the latest Cabinet nomination battle.
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For your radar
Biden participated in an arrival ceremony at the presidential palace in Angola at 11:15 a.m. local time and participated in a bilateral meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço. Biden will deliver remarks about the past and future relationship between the United States and Angola at 5:45 p.m. local time, or 10:45 Eastern time.
Vice President Kamala Harris has nothing on her public schedule.