Who's In the Race

Colorado's 3rd District is featuring incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Democrat Dwayne Romero, Libertarian Cory Robertson and Clifton Brown, who is running unaffiliated with any party, in the November 3 general election. ​

Hurd is an attorney who opened and leads the Grand Junction office of a Colorado law firm; he is a Colorado native raised in Grand Junction who earned law degrees from the University of Denver and Columbia Law School. He has served as U.S. representative for Colorado's 3rd District since 2025. Hurd won the June 30 Republican primary with about 66% of the vote over Ron Hanks, who received about 34%.

Romero is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers veteran and Army Ranger School graduate who earned a Bronze Star for service as a combat engineer executive officer during the Persian Gulf War; he later served as Colorado's Director of Economic Development under Gov. John Hickenlooper, on a local school board (including as president from 2020 to 2021), and on a city council, and now owns a Western Slope property management company. Romero won the June 30 Democratic primary with about 55% of the vote over Alex Kelloff, who received about 45%.

Brown is a carpenter by trade and describes himself as a "compassionate conservative" who "detests republicans and democrats equally," per his campaign website. According to his campaign biography, Brown was motivated to run for office after "masked men started abducting immigrants and citizens and disappearing them," presumably referring to the recent crackdowns in immigration and actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Robertson does not have a campaign website.

What They Stand For

Hurd has supported increasing domestic energy production, including in Colorado. He has also supported "making life more affordable, one hidden tax at a time," according to his Congressional website. He introduced the Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act, which "strengthens long-term funding for habitat restoration and wetland conservation while expanding hunting access and supporting healthy ecosystems across the United States," per his Congressional website. Hurd currently serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Romero has proposed repealing tariffs and expanding Family Tax Credits to address the cost of living, calling affordability his top priority, according to his campaign website. He has also supported protecting family farms and ranches, passing a robust Farm Bill and barring foreign entities from owning Colorado water and farmland, backing Colorado water rights and investing in water infrastructure, an "all-of-the-above" energy approach combining legacy and alternative energy development while opposing the sale or transfer of public lands to private interests; and keeping rural hospitals open and funded, allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and protecting women's access to reproductive health care.

Brown has supported human rights interests, specifically "putting Human Rights above corporate rights and national interests, establishing a right to privacy, and ending the drug war," per his campaign website. He also supports passing anti-corruption laws to end "stock trading, book deals, and all moonlighting by federal judges and elected officials," election reform including the elimination of districts "to end gerrymandering," the creation of a "national ID to vote or donate money," and the elimination of mail-in voting. On healthcare, Brown supports universal healthcare and making healthcare a "constitutionally protected right."

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Hurd had raised about $3.6 million and had about $1.8 million in the bank, nearly five times as much in total receipts and roughly 21 times as much cash on hand as Romero, who had raised about $717,000 and had about $84,000 on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Romero carries about $350,000 in debt, roughly half his total receipts.

Outside groups have spent about $116,000 supporting Hurd through Sept. 30, with Center Forward Initiative Inc. as the largest spender at about $99,000.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rates the race Likely Republican as of Oct. 19; Sabato's Crystal Ball rates it Likely Republican as of Oct. 11; and Inside Elections rates it Likely Republican as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Republicans, whose nominee is Hurd, a 70.3% chance of winning the seat as of Oct. 20.

The district has gone Republican in each of the last two cycles, though narrowly: Lauren Boebert won it in 2022 with about 50% of the vote, and Hurd won it in 2024 with about 51%. Colorado's eight U.S. House seats split evenly between the parties in 2024, with Democrats holding a 5-to-3 edge after 2022. In the 2024 presidential race, Kamala Harris carried Colorado with about 54% of the vote. The district's thin Republican margins in recent cycles, set against a state that leans Democratic statewide, help explain why forecasters place it in the "Likely" rather than "Safe" column even as Hurd holds a commanding financial advantage heading into November 3.

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