Jeff Hurd has prioritized water rights and infrastructure, strongly opposing water diversion projects that would move resources from Western Slope and the San Luis Valley to other regions, including the Front Range and metro Denver (Durango Herald; Denver Post).
He supports lowering food and production costs by expanding domestic energy production, removing unnecessary agricultural regulations, and strengthening local supply chains (CPR News).
Hurd has advocated for fair federal land and forest management policies, including reforming the PILT formula, supporting the Secure Rural Schools program and the Farm Bill, and serving as an original sponsor of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act (Durango Herald; The Journal).
He emphasizes protecting local interests in water negotiations, calling for stronger advocacy against the outsized influence of downstream states over Colorado River water use and compliance from states like California, Nevada, and Arizona (Denver Gazette; Journal).
Potential vulnerabilities include opposition attacks alleging ties to controversial water transfer plans, though Hurd has firmly denied any support for such projects and advocated for local input in water decisions (Coloradopolitics.com; Denver Post).
Jeff Hurd Advocated Expanding Domestic Energy Production For Lower Food Costs In 2024 According to CPR News, "Restoring Energy Independence. High energy costs affect every step of food production and distribution. I support expanding domestic energy production to lower costs for farmers, transporters, and consumers, helping to reduce overall food prices." [CPR News, 10/14/24]
2024: Hurd Supported Strengthening Supply Chains And Domestic Agriculture According to CPR News, "Strengthening domestic supply chains and investing in infrastructure can help prevent disruptions that lead to higher food prices. Supporting local food production and agricultural innovation can also make our food supply more resilient and cost-effective." [CPR News, 10/14/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Sought To Boost Outdoor Recreation Economy Via Federal Land Use According to Durango Herald, "He also said he wants to work with business owners and ensure federal lands in the region can be used in multiple ways to keep growing the outdoor recreation economy." [Durango Herald, 4/27/24]
2023: Lundeen Stated Hurd Would Support Agriculture, Energy, And Water Interests In District According to Colorado Politics, "He will strengthen our agricultural producers, protect our energy producers, fight for Colorado water, and always ensure that Western and Southern Colorado has a seat at the table," Lundeen said. "Jeff will represent us honorably and is a true leader of character." [Colorado Politics, 12/28/23]
2023: Gardner And Liston Cited Hurd's Character And Policy Priorities In Their Endorsements According to Coloradopolitics.com, '"Jeff is a leader of character who will work hard to deliver on issues important to western and southern Colorado. He will deliver for our farming and ranching families, fight to protect our water, push for energy independence, and always put Colorado first," said Gardner and Liston in a joint statement released by Hurd's campaign.' [Coloradopolitics.com, 12/12/23]
Paul Lundeen Asserted Jeff Hurd Would Defend Agricultural And Energy Producers In 2023 According to Denver Gazette, "He will strengthen our agricultural producers, protect our energy producers, fight for Colorado water, and always ensure that Western and Southern Colorado has a seat at the table," Lundeen said. "Jeff will represent us honorably and is a true leader of character." [Denver Gazette, 12/28/23]
2024: Jeff Hurd Advocated For Bipartisanship On Issues Like The Farm Bill According to Montrose Daily Press, '"It would be foolish for anyone to say that bipartisanship is not necessary, particularly with issues like the farm bill ... making sure our agricultural workers have the resources they need and the employees to harvest their crops," Hurd said.' [Montrose Daily Press, 9/23/24]
2025: Jeff Hurd Supported The Fix Our Forests Act As An Original Sponsor According to Durango Herald, "Rep. Jeff Hurd, the Republican elected in November to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional District and one of the bill's original 43 bipartisan sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, said the bill is 'sensible and it's appropriate.'" [Durango Herald, 2/25/25]
April 2025: Jeff Hurd Heard Tariff Concerns From Agriculture Producers In His District According to Denver Gazette, "Hurd noted he has heard from many constituents concerned about the tariffs specifically from agriculture producers." [Denver Gazette, 4/8/25]
2025: Jeff Hurd Acknowledged Need To Readdress PILT Funding Calculations According to Durango Herald, 'As it stands, Montezuma County gets 48 cents per acre for federal lands within its boundaries. "At some point in time, we should readdress those calculations," said Candelaria.' [Durango Herald, 4/22/25]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Prioritized Water And Agriculture Issues In Campaign According to Durango Herald, "Jeff Hurd understands that water and agriculture are economic lifelines in Southwest Colorado. That is why he is concentrating on those areas as part of his campaign for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District." [Durango Herald, 4/27/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Stated Commitment To Creating Local Opportunities For Youth According to Durango Herald, 'I want to create opportunities so that children here can, when they grow up, stay and live and thrive in Southwest Colorado.' [Durango Herald, 4/27/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Campaigned For Colorado's 3rd Congressional District According to Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "Jeff Hurd understands that water and agriculture are economic lifelines in Southwest Colorado. That is why he is concentrating on those areas as part of his campaign for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. He is among six candidates vying for the Republican nomination in the 3rd congressional district, which is up for grabs after U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert left to run for the 4th Congressional District seat." [Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 4/27/24]
2024: Letter Writer Larry Crowder Cited Jeff Hurd's Experience Working with Agriculture According to a letter to the editor published in Durango Herald, "With his background of working with agriculture, he understands the challenges we face on a daily basis such as water, inflation and the day-to-day struggles." [Letter to the Editor - Durango Herald, 6/5/24]
2024: Larry Crowder Cited Jeff Hurd's Agricultural Background and Focus on Rural Colorado According to a letter to the editor published in Montrose Daily Press, "With his background of working with agriculture, he understands the challenges we face on a daily basis such as water, inflation and the day to day struggles." [Letter to the Editor - Montrose Daily Press, 6/5/24]
2024: Letter Writer Anne Zink Putnam Claimed Jeff Hurd Supported Agriculture and Water in Western Slope According to a letter to the editor published in Durango Herald, "He works to support and strengthen our agriculture and water, and continue developing all Colorado energy resources." [Letter to the Editor - Durango Herald, 9/10/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Supported Reforming Federal Payments For Public Lands In Local Governments According to Montrose Daily Press, "On land issues, Hurd said he would focus on reforming the federal payments in lieu of taxes formula that Congress uses to pay local governments based on the amount of public lands in their boundaries." [Montrose Daily Press, 9/23/24]
September 2024: Hurd Proposed Compensating Local Governments For Lost Federal Land Tax Revenue According to Durango Herald, "Hurd proposed a plan to compensate local and county governments for the lack of tax revenue from federal lands." [Durango Herald, 9/24/24]
October 2024: Hurd Opposed Banning Big Cat Hunting Due To Agricultural Concerns According to Durango Herald, "When asked about a ban on hunting big cats, Proposition 127, Hurd said he would be concerned about the banning of hunting big cats on the agriculture industry." [Durango Herald (Colorado), 10/2/24]
September 30, 2024: Jeff Hurd Said He Would Pursue A Federal Exemption To State Law On Migrant Worker Overtime According to Denver Post, "Hurd, on the same question, said he would pursue a federal exemption to a state law requiring that migrant farm workers be paid overtime." [Denver Post, 10/13/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Planned To Pursue Federal Exemption For Overtime Pay For Migrant Farm Workers According to Denver Post, 'Hurd, on the same question, said he would pursue a federal exemption to a state law requiring that migrant farm workers be paid overtime.' [Denver Post, 10/13/24]
2025: Jeff Hurd Worked To Reauthorize Secure Rural Schools And Farm Bill Funding According to Durango Herald, 'Hurd said that "priorities" like Secure Rural Schools and Farm Bill funding "will probably come after the budget reconciliation process."' [Durango Herald, 4/22/25]
April 2025: Jeff Hurd Worked On Secure Rural Schools And Farm Bill Funding According to The Journal, "Hurd said that 'priorities' like Secure Rural Schools and Farm Bill funding 'will probably come after the budget reconciliation process.'" [The Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Colorado), 4/22/25]
April 2025: Jeff Hurd Identified PILT Funding Issues For Montezuma County According to The Journal, "Hurd said that 'priorities' like Secure Rural Schools and Farm Bill funding 'will probably come after the budget reconciliation process.' [...] PILT -- Payments in Lieu of Taxes -- funding is also up in the air." [The Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, Colorado), 4/22/25]
Jeff Hurd Supported Eliminating Unnecessary Regulations In Agriculture To Lower Food Prices In 2024 According to CPR News, "Overregulation drives up costs for farmers and ranchers, leading to higher food prices. Congress should work to eliminate unnecessary regulations and streamline those that impact agricultural production to help lower costs and improve efficiency." [CPR News, 10/14/24]
September 2024: Hurd Criticized BLM Control Over Land Management Decisions According to Durango Herald, '"The BLM has too much control on their making bad decisions for communities, not just in western Colorado but in southern Colorado as well,' Hurd said." [Durango Herald, 9/24/24]
2024: Hurd Opposed Ballot Measure To Ban Hunting Of Certain Wild Cats And Criticized Wolf Restoration According to Denver Gazette, "Frisch and Hurd do not support the ballot measure to ban the hunting of bobcats, lynx and mountain lions. Hurd said the wolf restoration program in Colorado, which has turned into a disaster, is a good example of why these ballot measures are a bad idea." [Denver Gazette, 10/1/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Highlighted Water Infrastructure Concerns According to Durango Herald, "Water infrastructure is a huge issue here in this part of the state," he said, adding he'd want to find ways to allocate resources effectively so consumers can store water how they see fit. [Durango Herald, 4/27/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Advocated For High-Altitude Water Storage Expansion According to Durango Herald, "Hurd said he would like to increase and expand distributed high-altitude water storage to help address the 'changing hydrology' in Southwest Colorado." [Durango Herald, 4/27/24]
February 2024: Nova Tucker Claimed Jeff Hurd Supported Deregulation And Water Law Priorities According to Durango Herald, "Tucker's statement also included nods to deregulation and water law." [Durango Herald (Colorado), 2/17/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Prioritized Water And Agriculture Issues According to Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "Hurd told The Durango Herald before a meet-and-greet Saturday at Chavolo's Mexican Restaurant in Bayfield that he wants to protect water and agriculture in the area and meet with ranchers and producers to address water infrastructure. 'Water infrastructure is a huge issue here in this part of the state,' he said, adding he'd want to find ways to allocate resources effectively so consumers can store water how they see fit." [Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 4/27/24]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Supported Expanding High-Altitude Water Storage According to Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "Hurd said he would like to increase and expand distributed high-altitude water storage to help address the 'changing hydrology' in Southwest Colorado." [Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 4/27/24]
2024: Hurd Pledged Support For Water Infrastructure And Balanced Federal Land Policy According to Durango Herald, "Jeff Hurd: I will fight for critical water infrastructure projects that protect Colorado's most precious resource and serve as a lifeblood for our communities in Southwest Colorado. This includes congressionally directed spending as well as creative 'win-win' financing mechanisms. When it comes to federal land policy, I will work to responsibly protect our public resources and do so in a way that supports our communities and the economies that are the backbone of western and southern Colorado." [Durango Herald (Colorado), 6/18/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Cited Major District Issues As Border Security, Energy, Water, And Agriculture According to Denver Gazette, "He identified the major issues the district faces as securing the border, energy, and protecting water and agriculture." [Denver Gazette, 9/23/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Asserted Lower Basin States Used Excess Colorado River Water According to Denver Gazette, 'Hurd said he believes the lower basin states on the Colorado River use more water than they're allotted. "We are outnumbered by the lower basin states," he told the audience and the district needs someone who knows the law or is willing to learn it.' [Denver Gazette, 9/23/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Warned Against Outsized Influence Of Downstream States Over Colorado River Water According to Montrose Daily Press, '"We are outnumbered by California, Arizona and Nevada," added Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney. "It doesn't take a math expert to figure out that they have way more representation in Congress than we do here in Colorado. That's why it's critical that we have somebody that's representing us who's fierce, who's smart, who knows the law, who's willing to learn it and who can effectively advocate for our state, and particularly our district. If we don't, we are going to have that water taken away from us."' [Montrose Daily Press, 9/23/24]
September 2024: Hurd Opposed Water Diversion Projects Benefiting Other States At The Expense Of Colorado CD-3 According to Durango Herald, "They would also oppose any projects that would use up water in parts of the state outside of CD-3 and other states such as Arizona and Nevada." [Durango Herald, 9/24/24]
September 2024: Jeff Hurd Proposed Limiting Bureau Of Land Management Power According to Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "Both candidates want to take away regulatory power from the Bureau of Land Management to enable local residents to have greater decision-making capabilities related to tourism and recreation. Hurd proposed a plan to compensate local and county governments for the lack of tax revenue from federal lands. 'The BLM has too much control on their making bad decisions for communities, not just in western Colorado but in southern Colorado as well,' Hurd said." [Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 9/24/24]
September 2024: Jeff Hurd Opposed Out-Of-District Water Diversion Projects According to Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "They would also oppose any projects that would use up water in parts of the state outside of CD-3 and other states such as Arizona and Nevada." [Journal (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 9/24/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Stressed Importance Of Water For Western Slope Farming According to Montrose Daily Press, "Hurd, a lawyer from Grand Junction, also dug into the issue of water and Western Slope interests --- 'Ag is the backbone of our economy and that is something that I will work hard to do everyday, is to make sure ... that we keep the water that our farmer and ranchers need to grow our food.'" [Montrose Daily Press (Colorado), 10/11/24]
Jeff Hurd Prioritized Water Storage And Defending The Colorado River Compact According to Denver Post, "Hurd and Frisch prioritize water storage and defending the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which divvies up water usage along the river." [Denver Post, 10/13/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Opposed Moving Water From The Western Slope To The Front Range According to Montrose Daily Press, "For the record, Hurd wants it known he is not interested in water being moved from the Western Slope of Colorado to the Front Range, despite his opponents' attack ads stating otherwise. 'That's not true and Adam knows it,' Hurd says." [Montrose Daily Press, 10/23/24]
2025: Letter Writer J. Paul Brown Credited Jeff Hurd's Support for HR 471 on Federal Forest Management According to a letter to the editor published in Durango Herald, "HR 471 establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities. [...] Thank you, Rep. Hurd for supporting this bill." [Letter to the Editor - Durango Herald, 3/19/25]
April 2024: Jeff Hurd Advocated For Water Resource Compliance In Neighboring States According to Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), "He also wants to make sure neighboring Arizona, Nevada and California are living within their water budgets and are not 'overusing water' from this part of the state." [Journal, The (Cortez, Dolores, Mancos, CO), 4/27/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Publicly Opposed San Luis Valley Water Diversion Plans According to Coloradopolitics.com, "Former Gov. Bill Owens a Hurd endorser and Colorado's last Republican governor is one of the prominent figures behind Renewable Water Resources, which wants to pump water to the growing Front Range from Southern Colorado's San Luis Valley, a plan Hurd has repeatedly said he opposes." [Coloradopolitics.com, 9/9/24]
January 2024: Jeff Hurd Stated His Independence From Endorsers On Water Issues According to Coloradopolitics.com, "In January, Hurd told local advocates in Alamosa that Owens' endorsement didn't equate to Hurd's support for the water project. 'When it comes to the issue of water, I'm very parochial and very focused on the area and I would not support any solution or any movement of water period that wouldn't have the complete buy-in of the communities here in the San Luis Valley,' Hurd said, according to the Alamosa Citizen." [Coloradopolitics.com, 9/9/24]
September 2024: Hurd Campaign Denied Frisch's Water Allegations According to Coloradopolitics.com, "A Hurd campaign spokesman told Colorado Politics that voters will 'see right through Adam's desperate attempt to score cheap political points.' 'While Adam and the Democrats flail about trying to attack Jeff, we have campaigning and publicly fighting to keep water in the San Luis Valley,' said Nick Bayer, the Hurd campaign's general consultant. 'Jeff wants to grow crops in the valley, not houses in Denver.'" [Coloradopolitics.com, 9/9/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Claimed Endorsements From Water-Right-Holding Lawmakers And Opposed Water Export Plans According to Denver Gazette, "Hurd said he's supported by the only two state lawmakers (Republicans Sen. Cleave Simpson and Rep. Marc Catlin) who own water rights and would fight against any water export project. He later told Colorado Politics that that includes the Renewable Water Resources plan to export water from the San Luis Valley to Douglas County." [Denver Gazette, 9/23/24]
2024: Jeff Hurd Denied Supporting Water Diversion From San Luis Valley For Metro Denver According to Denver Post, 'Frisch has accused Hurd of ties to groups that want to take water from the San Luis Valley to support metro Denver growth, a plan Hurd says he opposes.' [Denver Post, 10/13/24]
February 2025: Jeff Hurd Visited Montrose Forest Products To Discuss Forest Management According to Montrose Daily Press, "Recently, newly-elected Western Slope congressman Rep. Jeff Hurd (CD3) visited the company's facility and received an education on Montrose Forest Products operations. [...] Hurd spent more than two hours at the facility, hearing not only about operational logistics, but also about what the company might be looking for in their congressional representative." [Montrose Daily Press (Colorado), 2/12/25]