After Trump pulls endorsement, CD3 Republicans weigh loyalty and constitutional independence

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice

President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke his endorsement of Rep. Jeff Hurd and instead back primary challenger Hope Scheppelman reshaped the Republican race in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. It also sharpened a debate inside the party: does representation mean standing firm on constitutional ground—even when that conflicts with the president—or aligning closely with the America First agenda?

From Durango to Grand Junction, Republicans are trying to sort out what Trump’s move means—not just for June, but for November.

A question of representation

Delta County resident Shirley Bauer said Trump’s announcement hit her hard.

“When I heard President Trump pulled his endorsement of Rep. Jeff Hurd, it honestly threw me for a loop. I felt like I got kicked in the gut.”

Bauer does not see Hurd’s tariff vote as sabotage. She sees it as consistent with how he has approached the job.

“I don’t think Jeff did this in a vicious way. I don’t think he did it to discredit President Trump because he’s voted with Trump on the majority of his policies.”

Instead, she believes Hurd’s training as a constitutional attorney is both his strength and, at times, his political challenge.

“The very thing that makes Jeff good, that he’s a principled constitutional lawyer, is what put him at odds with Trump right now.” Bauer added, “We have such a tiny margin in Congress right now. This is war, and the perception that a Republican has joined the other side just hurts us.” 

“There is a good reason to have a lawyer on your team,” she added. “I just think with Jeff, the lawyer part is not resonating with some of his base right now. I hope that changes. I do believe he supports the America First agenda, and I also want to see it succeed.”

At the same time, Bauer said her hesitation about Scheppelman is rooted in her experience watching her serve as state GOP vice chair.

“Her track record as state vice chair was disappointing,” Bauer said. “I didn’t see the kind of unity or preparedness I’d want in a congressional candidate.”

She said she has watched internal party fights play out for years.

“You’ve got three factions out there doing their own thing. It’s the same thing Republicans always do. We divide ourselves and then we lose.”

The question of representation isn’t just about votes for Bauer. It’s also about roots.

“Jeff grew up in Grand Junction on the Western Slope,” she said. “Just by that fact, I believe he knows the district better.”

For Bauer, replacing an incumbent in that environment carries risk. She still leans on what she calls the Reagan 80/20 rule.

“You don’t throw a good man under the bus because 20 percent of what he does frustrates you.”

Republican victory on the Western Slope isn’t ever a certainty. Trump carried CD3 in 2024, but anyone who’s worked a campaign here knows Colorado races can tighten fast.

Constitution first

Nikki Boling isn’t switching sides. A former First Vice Chair of the county GOP, she said Trump’s endorsement doesn’t change her support for Hurd. But she added that she respects Republicans who are frustrated by his vote.

Boling said she does not believe Trump’s decision can be reduced to loyalty.

“I don’t think that President Trump throws out endorsements based on loyalty across the board,” she said.

She added that she believes Trump has historically surrounded himself with advisers willing to challenge him.

“President Trump puts people in places with him that will check his worst impulses,” Boling said. “That’s real leadership.”

Boling said she called Hurd after he voted against censuring Rep. Ilhan Omar and asked him directly why.

“He told me it came down to constitutionality,” she said. “We don’t have to like what they have to say, but they do have the right to say it under the First Amendment.”

“If you’re gonna stand on constitutionality of things, you need to vocalize that,” she said.

Boling believes members of Congress have the right to break with any president when their stance is rooted in constitutional duty and district needs.

“If they’re standing on the premise of constitutionality and on the beliefs of their constituents, then I believe any member of Congress has the right to break with any president in office.”

She said grounding decisions in constitutional principles is one way to serve a district as politically and geographically diverse as Colorado’s 3rd. The district is the 10th largest congressional district in the nation by land area, stretching from Pueblo west to the Utah border and from the San Luis Valley north through the I-70 corridor.

“Congressman Hurd represents Republicans, independents, Democrats, liberals and conservatives,” Boling said. “He needs to make sure that every voice in his constituency is represented.”

At the same time, she believes the endorsement shift adds strain to an already divided state party.

“I think it creates more division,” she said. “A lot of people are emotionally charged instead of looking at things from a more constitutionality premise.”

Boling said she supports tariffs in principle, though she sees trade-offs.

“I support the tariff, however, I can see the flaws in it as well,” she said. “He could have solidified himself better as more of an advisor.”

A pattern, not a single vote

In La Plata County, Bernie Lake sees the situation differently.

“It was not just about tariffs,” Lake wrote. “President Trump has been watching the anti–America First votes Rep. Hurd has taken.”

Lake cited what she describes as a pattern of alignment with Democrats, including Hurd’s vote related to the Canada tariff resolution, his vote connected to the censure of Ilhan Omar and his support for extending Obamacare subsidies.

“For many of us, this was not one strike—it was a pattern,” she wrote. “Rep. Hurd made too many votes and supported too much legislation that became indefensible to America First voters.”

In her view, Trump’s decision was warranted.

“President Trump appropriately withdrew his support.”

Lake also questioned Hurd’s accessibility, arguing that representation requires visible engagement as well as policy alignment.

Loyalty and unity

At Colorado Mesa University, James Ruehmann, president of the Turning Point USA chapter, views the endorsement shift through a loyalty lens.

“The President’s decision was ultimately about loyalty.”

Ruehmann described Hurd as “an extremely principled man” and said he does not believe the tariff vote amounted to betrayal.

“I don’t think he was betraying voters with that vote in particular.”

He acknowledged some of Hurd’s votes have rubbed Republicans the wrong way.

But when asked whether Trump’s move has fractured CD3, he isn’t ready to call it.

“I honestly haven’t seen it yet,” he said. “I think it’s to be determined.”

Answering constituents

Nearly 14,000 people dialed in for Hurd’s tele-town hall Wednesday evening.

The call remained civil.

One Pueblo caller thanked Hurd for opposing the tariff declaration, saying Congress—not the president—holds that authority under the Constitution. A teacher in District 51 pressed him on whether Congress has ceded too much power to the executive branch. 

Hurd cited Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

“Under Article one, section eight of the Constitution, it’s clear that Congress has the primary role with respect to tariffs,” he said. “The constitution gives Congress the power to levy tariffs. Article one, section eight. That’s not partisan. That’s how our system is designed.”

“If I wouldn’t want a future Democratic president using broad emergency powers this way, I shouldn’t support it now.”

Other callers asked about water rights, rural healthcare funding, immigration enforcement and energy policy. Tariffs were part of the discussion, but not the only concern on callers’ minds.

Hurd outlined his reasoning. Whether that satisfies primary voters remains uncertain.

What kind of Republican

Bauer doesn’t see this as an internal squabble. She sees it as survival and says, “We have to get this right or we’re going to lose this district.”

Lake argues the greater risk is abandoning what she views as a consistent America First standard.

Ruehmann says whatever happens in June cannot carry into November.

“If either candidate wins the primary, we will be dedicating all our efforts to getting them elected,” he said. “Hope Scheppelman and Jeff Hurd have been extremely supportive of us and regardless of who wins we cannot afford to lose.”

As the primary approaches, Colorado’s 3rd District is deciding what kind of Republican it wants to send to Washington—and whether unity can hold after that choice is made.