Colorado
Capitol’s new crop: Jeff Hurd, Colorado’s ‘accidental politician,’ who is taking over Boebert’s old House seat – Washington Examiner
The 2024 election cycle has ended, with Republicans holding control of all three branches of government. The Washington Examiner interviewed over two dozen new members as they prepare to take office in January. Part 9 of Capitol’s new crop will introduce Jeff Hurd, the representative for Colorado’s third congressional district in the 119th Congress.
Rep-elect Jeff Hurd (R-CO), the incoming freshman for Colorado’s 3rd congressional District, admits his representation style might be a “little bit different” from that of his predecessor, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).
Hurd, 45, had never run for elected office prior to his 2024 congressional campaign, saying during an interview with the Washington Examiner that his foray into politics was much that of an “accidental politician.”
For Hurd and his wife, Barbora Hurd, who have five children, the idea of running for an elected position “wasn’t anything that we had been aiming for,” with the incoming freshman saying he often jokes that “if you’re looking for somebody that has good judgment, don’t look at the person running for Congress, because it’s a crazy and hectic life, and it would involve a number of sacrifices.”
“But ultimately, where my wife landed, and where I landed, is this would be a tremendous honor to serve. It’s where I was raised, and we’re raising our children,” Hurd told the Washington Examiner. “We thought voters deserve a choice in both the primary and in the general election, and I felt called to give them that choice and to serve the district that I call home.”
CAPITOL’S NEW CROP: THE FOUR HOUSE REPUBLICANS POISED TO BECOME MAGA CHAMPIONS
An attorney at Denver-based law firm Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe, Hurd launched his congressional against Boebert in August 2023, saying in his campaign announcement that the district needed someone who is “committed to consensus-building and has a proven track record of being part of the solution, not creating more problems.”
Boebert often made headlines during her tenure as the district’s representative, with her heckling of President Joe Biden during his 2022 State of the Union address and her public divorce drawing national attention. In September 2023, she was kicked out of a performance of the musical Beetlejuice for vaping and groping while on a date in a theater in Denver.
Shortly after, Hurd’s campaign told the Washington Examiner in a statement that the “reason Jeff got in this race was because voters all over the district and Colorado are fed up with Rep. Boebert, specifically her inability to deliver results for our district, and her disgraceful behavior as an elected official.”
“Since her disappointing antics in September, Republicans all over the district have expressed concern that our chances of keeping the seat with her as our nominee are slim,” his campaign continued. “We are proud to have the support of many local and state conservative leaders who know Jeff will be a leader of character and deliver results for the district.”
The Washington Examiner asked Boebert’s office for comment.
Hurd ended up avoiding a primary fight against Boebert, who left the district to run for former Rep. Ken Buck’s open seat in the state’s 4th District after headwinds mounted against her. Hurd won the party’s nomination over former state Rep. Ron Hanks and four other Republicans.
Colorado’s 3rd district was an important win for Republicans as they sought to hold on to their House majority in the 2024 elections, with the district shifting from a “toss-up” to “lean-Republican” when Boebert announced her plans to leave the district.
Hurd went on to beat Frisch by 19,804 votes, or 5 percentage points, in the general election. The margin of victory was notably wider than Boebert’s 2022 reelection, where she defeated Frisch by a razor-thin margin of 546 votes.
Heading into the 119th Congress, Hurd has taken a softer tone toward Boebert, saying he believes the two will agree on the “vast majority of the issues,” particularly when it comes to representing rural Colorado.
“Her new district is a rural district; her old district, my new district, is also a rural district. And so think when it comes to the issues and the things that matter especially the border, inflation, government spending, energy — I think you’ll find that I am a conservative Republican legislator as well,” Hurd said. “My style might be a little bit different, but when it comes to substance, I think there’s a lot more alignment than it might appear, at least on the surface, and I guess we’ll have to see how that plays out in the next Congress.”
Hurd and Boebert have been in “constant communication” as the pair work to transition their offices from one to the next, according to a press release sent out on Nov. 14.
“I look forward to working with Congressman-elect Hurd on renewing America’s energy independence, improving the storage and management of water in Colorado, and securing our southern border to protect Colorado families from dangerous criminals and fentanyl,” Boebert said in the release.
Hurd previously told the Washington Examiner that he feels “it’s important that we have a close relationship, primarily because we’re going to be serving as colleagues, hopefully for many years together, but then also just transitioning the casework.”
Still, Hurd said he ran his campaign “consciously and deliberately” focused on the issues affecting his district, working to ensure his bid didn’t “get swept up in too much of the national discussion.”
“I felt like we were getting too tied up in the national sort of political discussion, and it was coming at the cost of families and small businesses and communities in my district,” said Hurd, who is also a former board chairman of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce.
Unlike many of his Republican peers, including Boebert, Hurd never received an endorsement for his congressional bid from President-elect Donald Trump.
The Colorado Republican told the Washington Examiner that the endorsement “just didn’t happen” and that the endorsements his campaign received were “primarily folks that were in the district and that we felt would validate our message of helping secure the border and grow our energy economy and protect water and agriculture.”
Hurd went on to say that he is looking forward to working with Trump and helping advance his second-term agenda alongside congressional Republicans.
“I think he got a mandate in this last election,” Hurd said. “I look forward to working with him and the Republican Senate and a Republican Congress in delivering on those promises to the American people, and I think we’re going to be evaluated on how effectively we can deliver in the next two years.”
CAPITOL’S NEW CROP: TIM SHEEHY FORMS UNLIKELY BIPARTISAN TRIO AS HE CEMENTS RIGHTWARD SHIFT IN SENATE
A commercial and regulatory attorney, Hurd’s campaign website touts a 2018 legal brief he co-authored supporting Amendment 71, which requires any individual or group attempting to amend the state’s constitution to gather support from every region in Colorado.
However, Hurd was attacked by Frisch during their congressional race for his legal background. The Colorado Democrat ran an ad that labeled Hurd a “corporate wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Frisch also asked Hurd if he planned to release his list of clients to be transparent to voters about any conflicts of interest during their September debate.
“It’s a little ironic that a Manhattan currency trader is talking about Wall Street,” Hurd said at the time.
For his part, Hurd is hopeful his experience as an attorney will benefit his district during his term.
“I am going to work hard to be thoroughly prepared to understand the facts, to understand the law and how the facts fit with the law. And I think that’s one of my strengths, is not only that work ethic, but an approach to legislation, regulation, and public policy,” said Hurd.
Hurd continued, “My legal background, I think, will benefit me as a legislator in Congress, and I was sometimes criticized for being a lawyer when I was running, but I think it gives me a set of skills that I can deliver results for my district.”
CAPITOL’S NEW CROP: THE FRESH FACES OF THE HOUSE WHO ARE READY TO ‘ROLL UP’ THEIR SLEEVES IN THE 119TH CONGRESS
As he prepares to enter the 119th Congress, Hurd said he will be keeping in mind the people in his district who are “struggling” due to “bad democratic policies.”
Hurd explained that a tour he did of a coal-fired power plant in Craig, Colorado (that is slated to shut down) where he met with some of the operators who were around his age and also had children, with one returning late from a parent-teacher conference, was the “moment” he knew he “wanted to run and wanted to fight for them.”
“Those are the people that I’m going to be keeping in mind, are the people, the coal miners, and the power plant operators in Norfolk County, Colorado, and their families that are struggling in the third Congressional District because of bad democratic policies,” Hurd said.
Head coach Jared Bednar is often calm and calculated during his postgame press conferences. But his frustrations were made loud and clear on Tuesday, following the Avalanche’s 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena in a game that saw superstar center Nathan MacKinnon get ejected late in the second period.
With the Avs on the power play trailing 2-1, MacKinnon entered the Oilers’ zone with speed and received an east-to-west pass from Martin Necas. MacKinnon’s shot went wide, but with little space to maneuver because Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was cutting in on him, MacKinnon barreled into goalie Connor Ingram and was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
“[MacKinnon] makes the play on the puck, and I got his toes cutting up ice probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram’s on the goal line. There’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie,” Bednar said, after watching his team fall to 43-11-9 on the season.
Ingram left the game with an injury and did not return.
“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, if it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty,” Bednar said. “If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”
The MacKinnon call prematurely ended the Avs’ second power play of the night. They successfully killed off the 4:05 remaining on the major and tied the game, but couldn’t secure a point.
Ross Colton, Necas, and Valeri Nichushkin had Colorado’s goals. Unfortunately for Colton, he left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.
“He took a shot from a player during the game and he kind of tightened up so he’s got an upper-body injury. Hopefully he loosens up for tomorrow and can play in Seattle,” Bednar said.
Mackenzie Blackwood started for the Avs after getting pulled in Dallas two games ago. He let in three goals on his first 10 shots before locking in later in the game. Blackwood made several big stops during the lengthy PK before Nichushkin tied it up. But it still wasn’t enough. Blackwood finished with 20 saves.
The Oilers finished 2-for-4 on the power play, getting the game-winning goal from Connor McDavid on a spectacular give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl with 10:57 remaining in regulation. Both of them finished with two points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals.
Colorado had a power play after that, but could not capitalize. Necas’ tally came on the PP earlier in the evening, and the Avs finished 1-for-3. Colton’s goal came just 24 seconds into the first period, which snapped his nine-game goalless drought.
All of the Avalanche’s best plays were in the first and third periods. The second was a different story.
“I’ll give you an example, three or four times at the start of the second period, we try to go in on a rush, and we lose it and change, and they get odd-man rushes and a scoring chance against,” Bednar said. “You can’t do that. You can’t do that against anybody, never mind the best offensive team in the league.”
Edmonton also played with a shortened bench. On top of losing Ingram to an injury, forward Colton Dach, and defenseman Ty Emberson also left with ailments and did not return. From the moment MacKinnon was ejected, the pace of the game changed. Frustrations were noticeable on both sides.
“It was a great game up until that,” Nazem Kadri said. “I think it was a good battle out there. Players were playing hard and, you know, it’s unfortunate that’s how it’s gotta end.”
Kadri was also vehemently against the MacKinnon call.
“I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way, like that’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact. I have no idea how that was a five-minute,” he said.
Good: Nichushkin Is Heating Up
When he’s been available to play, there haven’t been many bad stretches for Nichushkin. His on-ice production has been solid over the past three regular seasons. But this year, the 30-year-old veteran forward has had tough stretches. Entering the break, and coming out of it, Nichushkin wasn’t producing at the rate he usually does.
Over the past three games, he’s looked more like the power forward that we’ve grown accustomed to. And he’s gotten rewarded for it on the scoresheet.
Bad: The Penalty
I had a hard time deciphering if it was or wasn’t a penalty on MacKinnon when it first happened. I watched replays, I slowed them down, and I started to form an opinion.
But regardless of whether MacKinnon should’ve been called for anything, it shouldn’t have been a five. That part I can’t wrap my head around.
Bednar was frustrated and asked about it again. He added, “I really don’t give a crap if the goalies hurt. That’s on their D.”
Good:
Bad: Defensive Breakdowns
Each of the first three Edmonton goals were scored by guys that were open in front of the goal. On the first two,
Colorado
Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says
Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.
“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.
The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.
Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.
Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.
In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.
Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.
Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (43-10-9)
8 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
After back-to-back shootout victories, the Avalanche concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 2022 Avs team that won the Stanley Cup and defeated the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Tuesday’s game is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 9-1 in Edmonton on November 8th, and they’ll play in Alberta on April 13th.
Latest Result (COL): MIN 2, COL 3 (SO)
Latest Result (EDM): EDM 4, VGK 2
Sunday Success
The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy both scored for Colorado while Nazem Kadri posted an assist in his second Avs debut. In net for Colorado, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. MacKinnon opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his 43rd goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Kadri, who began the play with an interception below the offensive-zone goal line. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota with a power-play goal at 4:17 of the third period when his pass from the right circle deflected into the net. The Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:01 of the third period when Nico Sturm scored a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game at 12:39 of the third period when Nicolas Roy scored his first goal as an Av and sixth of the season via a net-front deflection on Brett Kulak’s slap shot. In the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado in the first round, Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the second round and MacKinnon tallied the winner in the fourth round.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (43) while ranking second in points (104) and third in assists (61).
All Hail Cale
Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for second in points (66) while ranking fourth in goals (19) and assists (47).
Marty Party
Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (76).
Series History
In 135 regular-season games against the Oilers, the Avalanche has a record of 74-49-6-6. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals in five games and the 2022 Western Conference Final in four contests.
Sunday in Sin City
The Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. In the second period, Trent Frederic opened the scoring for Edmonton at 3:21 before Vegas’ Noah Hanifin tied the game at 13:09. The Oilers took a 3-1 third-period lead after goals from Vasily Podkolzin at 2:34 and Leon Draisaitl at 11:53. Jack Eichel cut the Golden Knights’ deficit to one with a shorthanded goal at 16:43 of the third period. Edmonton took a 4-2 lead when Kasperi Kapanen scored an empty-net goal at 18:03 of the third period.
Producing Offense Against the Oilers
MacKinnon has posted 39 points (13g/26a) in 29 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in four playoff contests.
Makar has registered 13 points (5g/8a) in 13 regular-season contests against Edmonton, in addition to nine points (2g/7a) in four playoff games.
Kadri has recorded 25 points (12g/13a) in 30 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to four points (1g/3a) in three playoff contests.
Edmonton’s Elite
Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (108), goals (35) and assists (73).
Draisaitl is second on the Oilers in points (92), goals (34) and assists (58).
Evan Bouchard is third on the Oilers in points (73) and assists (55) while ranking fourth in goals (18).
A Numbers Game
34
The Avalanche are 34-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.
85
Colorado leads the NHL with 85 second-period goals this campaign.
.806
The Avalanche’s .806 points percentage at home this season is the best in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“Emotional seeing the support I get here. It’s absolutely incredible. It makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”
— Nazem Kadri on the support he received from Avalanche fans at Sunday’s game
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