President Donald Trump restored his endorsement of Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd on Friday, less than a month after pulling it and backing a primary challenger who accused Hurd of siding with Democrats.
Trump announced on Truth Social that Hope Scheppelman — the former Colorado GOP vice chair he had endorsed in February — agreed to leave the race and join his administration in a yet-undetermined role. Her husband Steven will join as well. With Scheppelman out and the filing deadline passed Wednesday, Hurd now faces no primary opposition.
Trump yanked his original endorsement on Feb. 21 after Hurd joined five other House Republicans in voting to repeal the president’s tariffs on Canada. Trump called Hurd a “RINO” and said he had “let me and our Country down.” The Supreme Court struck down those Canada tariffs one day before Trump pulled the endorsement.
On Friday Trump made no mention of the dispute. He wrote that losing the seat to a Democrat would be “a DISASTER for our Country” and gave Hurd his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” House Speaker Mike Johnson had privately lobbied Trump officials to reverse the endorsement, according to Politico. Cook Political Report rates the district — which Trump carried by 10 points in 2024 — as Likely Republican.
Scheppelman, in suspending her campaign, warned Hurd he had earned nothing. “Jeff Hurd now has the opportunity to correct his naive voting record,” she wrote. “If he does not, I will run again in 2028 and defeat him.”
Two Democrats have filed for the general election: Alex Kelloff, a former finance executive from Old Snowmass, and Dwayne Romero, a Snowmass Village business owner and Army combat veteran. Colorado’s primary is June 30.
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