Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado's 3rd Congressional District is back in Donald Trump's good favor. Not that long ago, the president faulted Hurd for opposing his tariffs on Canada and said he'd support party challenger Hope Scheppelman rather than Hurd's reelection effort.
According to a news story, Scheppelman is no longer in the race, a position in the president's administration has been promised to her, and Trump has returned to endorsing Hurd (Herald, March 22).
We have no insight into how this change of political heart occurred. Perhaps Scheppelman decided that a primary challenge against an incumbent would be a steep hill to climb, which it usually is, and that the certainty of a promised Washington position, though unspecified, had appeal.
Or perhaps despite his opposition to the Jan. 6 pardons, support for public lands legislation, and questions about presidential tariff authority, party leadership and polling determined that Hurd's occasional independence was outweighed by his overall reliability as a Republican. Beyond that, a Scheppelman primary win might have proved too extreme for November voters, handing the seat to Democrats. On major issues, Hurd has not taken issue with the president, including everything in the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with its permanent tax reductions and policies.
While primaries can include differing points of view that have merit, they can be awkward for candidates who are forced to profess the extremes to be noticed – positions that then set them too far from the mainstream for the November election.
Without Scheppelman to contend with – who had a state party leadership position and lives in Bayfield – Hurd can focus his resources on November and any Democratic challenger. Hurd, in his first term, continues to build a record that voters can consider.
