Dwayne Romero wins Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd

Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post on Jun 30, 2026

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DENVER — Dwayne Romero defeated a fellow Aspen-area businessman in the 3rd Congressional District’s Democratic primary and will face Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd in November for the seat that covers a vast swath of the Western Slope and southern Colorado.

Romero had 55% of the vote when the Associated Press called the race just after 8 p.m. Tuesday. His opponent, Alex Kelloff, earned 45% of the vote. Approximately 66,700 votes have been tallied.

Both men campaigned on similar policy platforms emphasizing that they’d address the rising cost of living, access to affordable healthcare, protection of public lands and opposition to President Donald Trump.

Kelloff, 53, is a political newcomer who entered the primary race more than a year ago after more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry. Romero, 61, is a U.S. Army veteran who leads a real estate company and has served on multiple local boards and governments in the Roaring Fork Valley. He entered the race in March.

Colorado’s 3rd District covers nearly half of the state, swooping from the desert and canyons of the Western Slope to the high mountains in southern Colorado and the southern end of the Front Range in Pueblo.

Hurd won the seat in 2024 after U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert moved across the state to run in a different district. A Republican, former state legislator Ron Hanks, challenged Hurd from within his party in Tuesday’s GOP primary.

Hurd defeated Hanks, earning 68% of the 60,785 votes counted by 7:45 p.m. The Associated Press called the race at 7:40 p.m.

A Democrat has not represented the 3rd District since 2011.

But in 2022, voters nearly elected Democrat Adam Frisch, an Aspen businessman. He lost to Boebert that year by 546 votes. In 2024, Frisch ran again and earned 46% of the votes to Hurd’s 51% — a difference of nearly 20,000 votes.

Trump’s presidential campaign won the district in 2024 by a 10-point margin.

The race on the Western Slope is one of several contested congressional primaries in Colorado on Tuesday, with the 1st and 8th congressional districts’ primaries covered in separate stories by The Denver Post. Three other districts had no competition for either major party, with their major-party November matchups already set.

Colorado Springs-based seat

Two Democrats vied for the chance to flip the 5th Congressional District, which covers Colorado Springs and its suburbs. Voters in the district have never voted a Democrat into the position, but the national party has identified the race to unseat incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Crank as one to watch as demographics change and Trump’s approval ratings fall.

Jessica Killin defeated Joe Reagan for the district’s Democratic nomination. The Associated Press called the race for Killin just before 8 p.m., when she held 63% of the 52,400 votes counted at the time. Reagan earned 37% of the vote.

Crank ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

2nd District Republican race

In the 2nd Congressional District, two Republicans ran for the chance to unseat Democrat Rep. Joe Neguse. Kelley Dennison defeated Christina Blunt, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8 p.m. Dennison had 58% of the vote at that time and Blunt had 42%.

Neguse has represented the district since 2019. It covers a broad swath of north-central Colorado, including Boulder, Fort Collins, Summit County and the rural ranchlands around Steamboat Springs. Voters have not elected a Republican to the seat since 1972.

Dennison is a Larimer County massage therapist who says her priority is addressing the cost of living. Blunt is a Fort Collins business owner who is also focused on affordability and who said she “stands on Christ and the Bible, the Constitution and Bullets.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert’s matchup

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert will face Democrat Eileen Laubacher in the general election after an earlier Democratic contest fizzled; only a write-in candidate, Jenna Preston, filed primary paperwork. The district covers much of the Eastern Plains and small sections of the Front Range, including Castle Rock.

Aurora-based 6th District

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jason Crow will face Republican Jason Clark in the general election for the district that includes Aurora and sections of Denver’s southern suburbs.

7th District in west metro, mountains

No Democrat challenged incumbent Rep. Brittany Pettersen. She will face Republican Tim Bennett in the general election for the district, which covers the western flank of the Front Range as well as much of the Arkansas River valley from Leadville to Cañon City.

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