Updated at 8:17 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd handily won another primary victory as returns Tuesday night showed him up nearly 70 to 30 over challenger Ron Hanks.
Meanwhile, former Aspen City Councilman Dwayne Romero was declared the winner in the Democratic primary by the Associated Press as he led his opponent 55-45 with an estimated 80% of the vote counted.
Romero was up against fellow Pitkin County Resident Alex Kelloff.
Hurd was in Washington, D.C., for election night and called into his Grand Junction watch party to celebrate.
“We have accomplished so much in this year-and-a-half in Congress. Securing the border, tax cuts, saving Coloradans, hardworking Coloradan families, so much money,” Hurd said, before switching to priorities ahead.
Specifically, Hurd called out the ongoing wildfires in the area. On election night, the skies over Grand Junction were filled with smoke and traces of ash could be found falling at points.
“The wildfire summer is started and it's bad. And we need to do everything we can to make sure that we're fighting for our farmers, our ranchers, our small business owners, everyone that is affected by these wildfires that are throughout the district,” Hurd said.
In a statement after the race was called, Romero immediately turned his attention to the November matchup with Hurd.
“We deserve a fighter in Congress who actually knows what it's like to struggle with the cost of living or to worry about keeping a business afloat. Time and time again, Jeff Hurd has chosen his political bosses over families in Colorado,” Romero said. “I will fight every day to lower costs at the grocery store and pharmacy, bring down housing costs, and stand up to the corporations and special interests driving prices higher.”
Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District ranges from Craig in Northwest Colorado down to Durango and east to Trinidad, with Pueblo and Grand Junction accounting for the largest population centers.
The district hasn’t elected a Democrat since John Salazar in 2008, though narrow races in 2022 and 2024 have given Democrats hope that they could still win in the right year.
On the Republican side, this was the second contest between Hurd and Hanks. In 2024, Hurd handily won a crowded Republican primary field that included six candidates who were vying to replace Lauren Boebert after she departed the district. Hurd secured 11,000 more votes in that race than Hanks, who finished second.
Hurd, an attorney from Grand Junction, has at times butted up against President Donald Trump. Trump withdrew his endorsement of Hurd after Hurd voted against the President’s tariffs, but later re-endorsed him.
Hanks, meanwhile, staked out a much more conservative position in his pitch to voters. The former Colorado lawmaker claims the 2020 election was stolen and was in attendance at the Jan. 6 riots.
For Democrats, both Kelloff and Romero were making their first run at the district, campaigning as pragmatists opposed to the Trump Administration.
Romero and Kelloff both hail from Pitkin County, ensuring that an Aspen-area Democrat represents the party in three straight 3rd Congressional District elections.