At Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, Rep. Jeff Hurd was among the few Republican lawmakers who remained seated during several standing ovations for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
That’s not surprising, considering the freshman house member for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District recently lost the president’s endorsement for reelection over his opposition to the national emergency declaration from February 2025, which subjected Canada to tariffs. Trump shifted his endorsement to Hope Scheppelman, Hurd’s opponent in the upcoming CD-3 Republican primary.
“Congressman Hurd is one of a small number of Legislators who have let me and our Country down,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday. “He is more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America.”
The day after Trump’s post, Hurd responded on X, saying he would always put his constituents first and that his votes are guided by what is best for his district and the “long-term strength” of the country. Shortly after last week's Congressional vote on the tariffs, Hurd wrote on X that he felt the tariffs were negatively affecting agricultural producers and steel mills in his district.
Both the La Plata County Republicans and Southwest Republican Women declined to comment on Hurd’s loss of endorsement until after the June primaries. However, some local Republicans doubted that Hurd was truly ever a Trump supporter – not necessarily a negative for them.
Hurd has so far declined to respond to The Durango Herald’s requests for comment about losing Trump’s endorsement.
But he briefly acknowledged his vote denying Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Canada during a virtual town hall Wednesday.
He addressed the issue while responding to a question about concerns over checks and balances on the executive branch, saying the separation of powers factored into his vote.
The decision followed conversations with farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and business owners across his district who told him rapid tariff shifts were harming them. When “tariffs change quickly and unpredictably,” he said, “that uncertainty affects real jobs.”
Hurd said he supports strengthening domestic industry and promoting fair trade, but disagrees with how tariffs are being implemented.
“Tariffs can absolutely be an appropriate part of that toolbox in the right use, but where I differ on is how we use that tool,” he said, adding that major trade decisions should not rely on sweeping emergency authority.
That stance, he said, is a matter of principle.
“If I wouldn’t want a future democratic president using broad emergency powers this way, I shouldn't support it now,” he said.
No mention was made of his break from the Republican majority or his loss of endorsement.
Scheppelman, now the candidate currying the president’s favor, has been a hard-line supporter of Trump since his initial campaign and a harsh critic of Hurd since her campaign announcement last summer. His recent fall from favor was a long time coming, she told the Herald.
The endorsement is “humbling” and “an honor,” she said. It has jump-started her campaign and led to an influx of donations and support at both the local and national level over the past week, she said.
Scheppelman is a controversial figure within the Colorado GOP. State party members voted to oust her from the position of vice chair in 2024 after the party chairman pinned anti-gay social media posts that were supported by Scheppelman.
“Here in the third congressional district, President Donald Trump won overwhelmingly over the Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris,” she said. “We wanted to see somebody truly focus on what is going to really bring back jobs, lower the inflation, focus on the economy. The president took notice of (Hurd) going against that agenda … that's adding back the voices of the people.”
Trump’s first term was marked by a revolving door of senior staff and advisers, and although that pace of turnover has slowed in his current term, his tendency to quickly shift favor toward – or away from – political allies is still widely noted, a dynamic Scheppelman, the new favorite, said does not concern her.
In the most recent CD-3 Republican primary, Hurd decisively beat Ron Hanks, a staunch Trump supporter. Despite Hanks being endorsed by the Colorado GOP ahead of the race, he lost the nomination by more than 12 percentage points.
jbowman@durangoherald.com jmittleman@durangoherald.com
