Grand Junction High School graduate Jeff Hurd is running to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in Washington D.C.
Multiple people relayed a sense that Hurd, a newcomer to politics, is a genuine and reasonable person regardless of political viewpoints.
“He was very open, we had a really great conversation over coffee. It was very obvious that he was on one side of the aisle and I was on the other… I was really impressed with him and most of our conversation was about this school. We had a lot of shared history in this building,” said GJHS assistant principal Heather O’Brien, who graduated from GJ herself in 1987.
Hurd graduated with the GJHS class of 1997. He was active as a student at GJHS, having participated in several clubs and activities such as the Orange and Black student newspaper, Academic Team, the Spanish Club, and playing football.
Hurd went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 2001 and worked toward becoming a priest. He eventually changed directions and started law school in 2005.
He went on to become a lawyer in Grand Junction and now credits much of his inspiration to the school and some of the teachers that taught here at GJHS, such as previous geography teacher Tom Gleason.
“I would say my love of reading and writing and literature was something that I got when I was at Grand Junction High School. Part of that came from Academic Team, but part of it was also from my English courses and teachers… [who] instilled in me a love of reading and writing and appreciation for the power of written word,” said Hurd.
He is not a career politician but rather decided to run to represent the underrepresented. Hurd originally entered the race to unseat the often controversial 3rd district Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Rifle), however she has since moved to the Front Range and is running in the fourth district.
“I am running for Congress because I believe rural Colorado is being left behind. Our best export are our kids, they grow up and they leave and many of them don’t come back. I want to create opportunities so that our children and grandchildren can, if they want, stay and live and thrive in western and southern Colorado,” said Hurd.
Hurd has a concern and appreciation for the youth of Grand Junction, like the students here at GJHS. He hopes to make a positive difference in the current and future lives of the younger generations through things like education, economic opportunities, and appreciation for local agriculture.
“I believe strongly that education should teach students how to think, not necessarily what to think. Independence of thought is important,” said Hurd.
Hurd has five children of his own, whose education and future he must look out for.
“I think having someone with school-aged kids would be a big impact because they understand the challenges in education and issues in education and may have a more direct concern,” said GJHS history and government teacher Christine Spillane.
“Does someone who’s running for congress affect kids? Well, if they’re representing all of Colorado and not just the Red or Blue side and listening to their constituents’ voices and represent all of us, I think that ends up impacting them,” said O’Brien.
As a successful GJHS graduate, Hurd has some words of wisdom to share.
“Be a thermostat that changes the culture instead of a thermometer that just reflects the culture,” said Hurd. “Remember that the things you think might be important in high school aren’t necessarily going to be the most important things when you get old. Don’t take anything too seriously. Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.”
According to a May 16 article in the GJ Daily Sentinel, Hurd has not endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The GOP primary of the 3rd Congressional District will be held June 25, where Hurd will be running against Carbondale’s Russ Andrews, Canon City’s Ron Hanks and Pueblo’s Stephen Varela.
Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District stretches from GJ to Pueblo and covers several smaller mountain towns. It is conservative leaning. The election has gone to the Republicans the last seven times.
The winner of the primary will likely face off against Democrat Adam Frisch of Aspen. The election will be held in November along with the presidential election.
