Colorado
Colorado’s 3rd District prepares for epic, costly election battle — even without Lauren Boebert
Since U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert opted to change her address to one clear across the state late last year, the race for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District has fallen out of the media glare that seemingly shines on the controversial Republican congresswoman wherever she goes.
But Colorado’s largest district by land mass — taking in Grand Junction, Gunnison, Durango and Pueblo — may prove a critical contest in a closely divided Congress where the major parties are always hungry to flip a seat. That’s true, a political observer said, even if a Democrat hasn’t represented the district since John Salazar lost the 2010 election to Scott Tipton.
One big reason: Adam Frisch.
The Democrat who came within 546 votes of unseating Boebert two years ago on the Western Slope now possesses solid name recognition, including outside Colorado, and “a massive advantage in campaign finance,” said Kyle Saunders, a political science professor at Colorado State University.
Even since Boebert announced her decision to switch to the open race in the 4th Congressional District on the Eastern Plains, Frisch — who’s unopposed in the June 25 primary — has outraised every other congressional candidate in the state.
“With the margin of control of the House of Representatives being so very close, every competitive seat should — and no doubt will — be contested vigorously,” Saunders said. “While CD3 is not the most competitive seat on that list, I still expect both sides to fully engage in fighting hard for it.”
In the generally L-shaped district, which stretches from lonely Kleins Hill in the northwest corner of the state to the tiny town of Kim in Las Animas County, southeast of Pueblo, the district’s biggest voter group — at nearly 230,000-strong — are those affiliated with no party.
But with the polarizing Boebert out, it’s possible the political dynamics will revert closer to normal. That would mean, Saunders said, that “a generic Republican beats a generic Democrat by seven points” in the 3rd District, which boasts 35,000 or so more active GOP voters than Democrats.
In November, Frisch, 56, a former Aspen city councilman, will face one of a half dozen candidates seeking the Republican nomination in June — including attorney Jeff Hurd, Colorado Board of Education member Stephen Varela and ultra-conservative former state lawmaker Ron Hanks.
The other GOP contenders are Russ Andrews, a Carbondale financial adviser; Curtis McCrackin, a Delta County businessman; and Lew Webb, a former car dealership owner who lives in Durango.
Frisch’s performance in 2022 revealed the second-term congresswoman’s vulnerability among voters who had grown tired of her antics and penchant for generating unflattering headlines.
“Frisch has an experienced organization now,” Saunders said.
His financial advantage adds up to nearly $6 million on hand as of the end of March. It’s money Frisch can use to run ads and blanket the district with his name and face on yard signs. It’s more than what the six Republican candidates battling it out in the primary have in their war chests — combined.
For his part, the Democratic candidate knows he likely has a tough fight ahead without Boebert as a powerful foil.
“I am confident that the 50,000 miles driven and speaking in front of Democrats, independents and Republicans, I’ve earned the trust of a lot of people,” Frish said in an interview. “But it’s going to be a close race, without a doubt.”
He has laid out positions on border security, energy and other issues that set him apart from many in his party — though the Republicans vying to run against him question whether he could escape the larger philosophical grip of the Democratic Party.
“Adam’s running like he’s Ronald Reagan incarnated, but his party doesn’t tolerate dissent,” Andrews said. “He’s not going to be able to be nearly as conservative in Congress as he is on the campaign trail.”
Will Trump be a factor?
Widely considered the GOP frontrunner by way of his fundraising and endorsements — at least so far — is Hurd, a Mesa County native and attorney who represents electric associations. The mild-mannnered political novice entered the race last summer as an alternative to Boebert on the Republican ticket.
“I’m viewed as the guy who has the target on his back a little bit,” he said.
Hurd, 44, has raised appreciably more money than his Republican opponents and has picked up some high-profile endorsements from the likes of former Gov. Bill Owens and John Suthers, the former Colorado attorney general and Colorado Springs mayor. But he needs to do better in the money game versus Frisch, and he knows it.
Frisch took in $1.4 million in the first three months of 2024 compared to Hurd’s $241,000.
“We’re going to have a formidable and well-funded candidate to face. As Republicans, we need to take it seriously,” Hurd said. “I’m motivated to raising more money in the next quarter.”
He lists the flow of immigrants across the southern U.S. border in recent years as a “massive political failure” at the top of the issues page of his campaign website. Energy extraction, important in the 27-county 3rd District, is also a priority for Hurd. Those two issues form a nexus between Hurd and former President Donald Trump, who will be the Republican presidential nominee at the top of November’s ballot.
“His top two issues are my top two issues — securing the border and energy independence,” Hurd said.
Beyond that, Hurd is tight-lipped about the former president, declining to say even whether he voted for him in the last two elections — “I’m not focused on 2016 and 2020,” he said — or whether he will vote for Trump this fall.
“I don’t talk about who I vote for,” Hurd said.
Trump could be a volatile factor for the district’s Republican nominee, Saunders said. Colorado voters gave President Biden a more-than-13-percentage-point edge over Trump in 2020.
“So, how close can Hurd get to Trump without cost is an interesting question in this cycle,” Saunders said. “Likewise, will Frisch try to tie the Republican nominee as closely as possible to Trump in order to alienate those unaffiliated voters again?”
On the other hand, the party standard bearer at the top of the ticket could mobilize the GOP base in the 3rd Congressional District. After all, Trump won the district by more than 8 percentage points over Biden four years ago, according to calculations by the progressive political site Daily Kos that take redistricting into account.
“The problem Frisch faces is just one of numbers,” Saunders said. “He can absolutely win, but it remains an uphill climb when there are so many more Rs than Ds in the district, even with this name recognition and big-money advantage.”
Andrews said that could open a more conservative path for him.
“I fill that lane that people want,” said Andrews, who proudly declares himself the owner of 19 firearms and a strong defender of gun rights.
The 66-year-old father of three takes a hardline position on immigration, calling for finishing the border wall, implementing “national security tariffs” on goods and services from China and Mexico, changing the nation’s asylum laws so that applicants must apply from outside the country and deporting all migrants who entered the U.S. illegally since Biden’s “first day in office.”
He calls Hurd a “nice guy” but part of the Republican “old guard.”
“I’m on Team CD3”
Frisch, who has spent a dozen years in the homebuilding business and another dozen in international finance, has a mantra he likes to repeat: “I’m not on Team Blue, I’m not on Team Red — I’m on Team CD3.”
“They want to hammer that I’ll be beholden to the (Democratic) party,” he said of his political opponents. “I’m going to say what I believe and that frustrates a lot of people. I’m called a DINO (Democrat In Name Only) all the time. But my message is not changing, my work ethic is not changing, my independence is not changing.”
The border, he said, is “out of control.”
“We need to figure out how to secure the border and reduce the number of people coming here illegally,” Frisch said. “We’re a nation of immigrants but we’re also a nation of laws.”
He’s also a critic of efforts by some in his party to restrain domestic fossil fuel energy production.
But on abortion, Frisch is firmly in favor of protecting access, an issue that has hampered Republican successes at the ballot box since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“It will be an important part of the conversation,” Frisch promised for the fall.
Varela, who will get top-line billing on the Republican primary ballot in June because of his dominant performance at this month’s GOP assembly, said he is a former Democrat and against abortion. Voters, he said, respect a candidate for staying true to a position even if it’s controversial.
“They don’t want the wishy-washiness,” he said.
In February, The Denver Post reported that Varela faces a federal investigation into his past management of a government employees union in southern Colorado, including improper spending; Varela called the allegations baseless.
Though Varela, 39, has only $23,000 cash on hand as of the end of March, his Latino roots and military combat experience in Iraq should resonate with voters, he said.
“People in CD3 aren’t for sale,” he said. “They want to know you’re going to represent them.”
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Colorado
President Trump denies Colorado’s disaster declaration request for wildfire, flood recovery efforts, Polis says
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are asking President Trump to reverse a decision, saying the president denied disaster declaration requests for major wildfires and flooding across the state earlier this year.
In August, lightning strikes near the town of Meeker sparked two massive wildfires that burned over 150,000 acres in Rio Blanco County. The Lee fire became the fifth-largest wildfire in the state’s history. Polis declared a disaster emergency for the Elk Fire on Aug. 3, which was updated on Aug. 6 to include the Lee Fire. That declaration unlocked over $18.5 million in state funding to help with suppression and recovery efforts.
The Elk and Lee Fires and subsequent mudslides caused approximately $27.5 million in damage, according to state estimates validated by FEMA. State officials expect that estimate to grow as recovery efforts continue.
Polis said the region’s Piceance Basin produces between 2 and 5% of the United States’ daily consumption of natural gas and that the two local utility providers in the area suffered almost $24 million in damage to their infrastructure. He warned that a lack of support could stall production, damaging the local economy and causing rate increases that reach far beyond the region.
Polis declared another disaster emergency in October when areas of southwest Colorado along Vallecito Creek, the Piedra River, and the San Juan River basin were struck by intense flooding.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, “The Western Colorado Flooding destroyed or damaged essential drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, including near-total sewer system failures in the Pagosa Springs area. Floodwaters breached levees, triggered evacuations for nearly 400 homes, prompted multiple boil-water advisories, and caused at least 11 high-water rescues by local first responders. Rivers reached historic levels — including the San Juan River’s third-highest crest since 1911 — and debris flows, sediment deposits, and rechanneling of waterways have created long-term risks for residents living along Vallecito Creek, the Piedra River, and the San Juan River basin.”
Polis made a formal request for support in September. Colorado’s entire congressional delegation — four Democrats and four Republicans — along with both Democratic senators, asked the president to support the request and to issue a major disaster declaration to help the people affected by the fires and floods.
According to the governor’s office, that request was denied Saturday night. In a joint statement, Colorado’s governor and senators called on the president to reconsider.
“Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing. One of the most amazing things to witness as Governor has been the resilience of Coloradans following a natural disaster. Their courage, strength, and willingness to help one another is unmatched – values that President Trump seems to have forgotten. I call on the President’s better angels and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won’t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve. Colorado will be appealing this decision,” Polis said.
Bennet condemned the denial, claiming that the president is using Coloradans for “political games” and calling the move “malicious and obscene.
“A disaster is a disaster, regardless of what state in the country it took place. Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision,” he asserted.
“Coloradans are trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods destroyed homes and communities across our state. Trump’s decision to reject our disaster requests, and therefore, withhold resources as our communities continue to recover, is unacceptable. This isn’t a game. These are people’s lives,” Hickenlooper said.
In response to CBS News Colorado’s request, White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson provided the following statement regarding the denial:
“During the fires, the Administration prioritized and mobilized two Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems, which are jointly managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Department of War, and retrofitted to C-130s operated by the Air National Guard. These systems enhanced aviation support to Colorado as they battled the Lee and Elk fires.
The President responds to each request for Federal assistance under the Stafford Act with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement-not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.
There is no politicization to the President’s decisions on disaster relief, unlike under the Biden Administration where FEMA officials refused aid to disaster survivors who displayed political signs and flags they disagreed with. The Trump administration remains committed to empowering and working with State and local governments to invest in their own resilience before disaster strikes, making response less urgent and recovery less prolonged.”
CBS News Colorado reached out to FEMA for comment on Sunday. Its Denver regional office referred questions to its national office in Washington, D.C., but as of the time of this story’s publishing, it has not yet responded.
Colorado
Cleanup continues in Colorado after train derails into Gunnison River, spills over 8,000 gallons of
Colorado
Windstorm batters Colo., leave tens of thousands without power; restoration expected by Saturday night
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado’s foothills were hit by hurricane-force winds Friday morning, with gusts reaching 112 mph in Boulder County. The storm caused damage, outages, fires, and travel disruptions, but no injuries were reported.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday afternoon and evening, a previous windstorm brought gusts up to 109 mph, knocking down trees and power lines and sparking fires near Yuma.
No serious injuries were reported from the fires near Yuma. Authorities believe no homes were lost. All fires were contained by Thursday night after burning just over 14,000 acres.
Power outages
Xcel Energy carried out another public safety power shutoff (PSPS) on Friday in response to hurricane-strength winds in the Front Range foothills, as crews worked around the clock to restore power to thousands of customers after initiating a Wednesday PSPS.
Xcel said PSPS conditions subsided as of 5 a.m. Saturday. However, about 57,207 Xcel customers were still without power.
Xcel Energy
The utility company said it’s aiming to restore power to customers by 10 p.m. Saturday, but warned that the outage could extend into Sunday for some customers.
“The safety of crew members is paramount as they work to restore power. Xcel Energy asks customers to help keep crew members safe as they work diligently to restore power as quickly as possible,” wrote Xcel Energy in a release.
Xcel said it has identified 396 customers who have been without power since the initial outage on Wednesday. The company said these customers are being prioritized as restoration efforts continue followed by other high-needs areas.
David Zalubowski/AP
Xcel set up resource centers and charging stations in Evergreen, Gilpin County, Lakewood, and Idaho Springs.
On Saturday, Gov. Jared Polis urged residents to avoid directing their frustration at Xcel’s frontline crews over ongoing outages, saying workers are working long hours to restore service.
“As many Coloradans await the return of power to their homes and communities, I want to urge everyone not to take their frustrations with power being out on the hardworking men and women who make up the Xcel crews. The company and its crews are working around the clock to ensure our safety and to restore power. While I have expressed great frustration with Xcel and there’s much room for improvement in communications about what’s going on and timelines, I am grateful for Xcel’s frontline workers and all those people working to restore people’s power. Please thank them if you see them,” Polis said in a statement.
CORE Electric Cooperative, which provides power to parts of Clear Creek, Jefferson, and Park counties, said that 9,281 customers lost power during Friday’s storm.
CORE said the return of service for most members will likely not occur until later in the day on Saturday, as more favorable weather will help with restoration efforts. However, strong winds are still expected, and many trees have been weakened during the storm.
Damage and closures
Reports of downed trees, power lines, and street poles in and around Boulder and across the foothills during Friday’s wind event flooded emergency dispatch.
In Longmont, Friday’s windstorm severely damaged the roof of Longmont Climbing Collective, 155 Pinnacle Street, prompting the closure of the business as crews work to replace the roof.
Denver7
Longmont Climbing Collective said in a Facebook post that it hopes to reopen Sunday or Monday, but it may take longer. No injuries were reported.
Downed trees and street poles blocked roads and trails across Boulder County, causing major closures, including portions of CO 72, CO 93, US 36, and CO 128. But some reopened by nightfall.
Denver7
In the Allenspark area of Boulder County, a propane tanker on CO 7 rolled over after hitting black ice on Friday, trapping the occupants and prompting an evacuation and the closure of the highway.
According to the Allenspark Fire Protection District, high winds and leaking diesel fuel at the crash scene made the situation particularly sensitive and extended the time needed to resolve it.
Allenspark Fire Protection District
Due to concerns about possible propane leakage, residents and businesses were evacuated. However, no propane leakage was ultimately found.
No major injuries were reported.
Friday’s storm also closed schools across Boulder and Jefferson counties, as well as Evergreen.
Here are the top 10 wind speeds recorded on Friday from the National Weather Service:
- 112 MPH — 3 NW Marshall, Boulder, CO
- 110 MPH — Sunshine, Boulder, CO
- 102 MPH — 2 WNW Niwot, Boulder, CO
- 99 MPH — 1 NE Crisman, Boulder, CO
- 97 MPH — 1 S Wallstreet, Boulder, CO
- 96 MPH — 2 SW Hygiene, Boulder, CO
- 95 MPH — 1 NE Crisman, Boulder, CO
- 95 MPH — 3 S Carter Lake, Larimer, CO
- 94 MPH — 3 N Berthoud Pass, Grand, CO
- 92 MPH — 5 N Boulder, Boulder, CO
DIA impacts
Friday’s strong winds created a rough start to the December holiday travel season at Denver International Airport.
FlightAware reported more than 1,200 delays at DIA on Friday—the most nationwide—along with more than 80 cancellations.
Denver7
On Saturday, the numbers dropped considerably, resulting in only 88 reported delays.
Several pilots reported moderate-to-severe or even severe turbulence on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration defines turbulence as “severe” when it “causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes large variations in indicated airspeed. Aircraft may be momentarily out of control.”
Back‑to‑back windstorms batter Colorado, leave tens of thousands without power
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