This article is the sixth in a six-part MSNBC Daily series, “Meet the Freshmen,” featuring six of Congress’ newest faces — three Republicans and three Democrats — in a series of diverse columns that explore the new members’ backstories, policies, home districts and where they fit in this historic political moment. You can read the rest of the series here.
Congress’ new members have arrived in Washington with some positioning themselves to challenge the status quo. One incoming House freshman, Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., is entirely new to politics, having held no previous political office. Since he won his election, he has made no splashy statements or had any media controversies. By all appearances, he seems to be far more interested in legislating than in becoming a social media star. And that could be just what Washington needs.
For Colorado’s 3rd District, Hurd will surely be a breath of fresh air. The district was most recently represented by embattled Rep. Lauren Boebert, before she moved districts to escape a tough re-election bid made only more difficult by her many public controversies. Hurd acknowledged that his representation of Colorado would be a “different style” from Boebert’s. Specifically, Hurd’s campaign said he would not engage in the same “disgraceful behavior” that made Boebert unable “to deliver results for [the] district.” This is a hopeful sign for Coloradans and Americans everywhere that our days of outlandish political theater are ending.
Since he won his election, he has made no splashy statements or had any media controversies.
Hurd says he intends to focus on issues integral to his rural district and the whole of America, such as supporting small businesses and agriculture, protecting natural resources and increasing energy development. Importantly, Hurd tends to not lean in hard on culture war issues. He is against abortion, for example, but believes in exceptions for rape, incest and life-or-death situations. Calling himself a “constitutionalist,” he says he’d vote against a federal ban on abortion at 15 weeks — preferring to leave the matter to the states. Instead, he plans to focus on issues of fundamental importance to everyday Americans, saying he intends to “be the principled, problem-solving Republican leader that Colorado needs.”
On controversial issues such as immigration, Hurd notes his support for reforming our country’s broken legal immigration system while highlighting the importance of securing our nation’s borders.
Hurd presents a more nuanced conservative position on immigration reform than the brash plans supported by President-elect Donald Trump. While Hurd is in favor of allocating resources to recommence the construction of the border wall, he stresses that these efforts need to be focused on high-traffic areas — which is reminiscent of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign promises and a sentiment also expressed by his Democratic challenger, Adam Frisch. Importantly, Hurd diverges from Trump when it comes to his views on mass deportations, as Hurd supports these efforts only when it comes to violent criminals who have entered the United States illegally.
Hurd is a native Coloradan living in his hometown, Grand Junction, with his wife, Barbora, and his five children. Barbora is originally from Czechoslovakia, where she grew up under “the iron grip of communist rule” and eventually saw the fall of the system before she immigrated to and became a citizen of the United States.
Hurd’s lack of political background puts him in the perfect position to bring about institutional change to one of America’s oldest institutions.
Hurd and his wife both had humble beginnings that he says led them to appreciate the fundamentals of the Constitution: limited government, individual rights and free markets. This appreciation for the Constitution turned into a career for Hurd, as he went on to study law at the University of Denver and Columbia Law School before he returned to Grand Junction to grow his family with Barbora and practice law. Hurd’s intimate understanding of the downfalls of communism seems to have inspired his views on both legal immigration and the importance of safeguarding fundamental rights.
Hurd’s wholesome social media presence — you won’t find any ALL-CAPS rants from this Republican — is yet another positive indication that he will not feed into the toxic clout-chasing many of his congressional colleagues indulge in regularly.
While it can be entertaining to watch the social media remixes of congressional members’ harsh remarks to one another, these escapades slowly tarnish our country’s reputation and international standing while normalizing the poor treatment of our peers. As Hurd put it on his campaign website, “Congress has a lot of performers, but not enough doers.” For many Americans, it is time for politicians to stop these silly games and act like the professionals they ought to be.
Hurd’s lack of political background puts him in the perfect position to bring about institutional change to one of America’s oldest institutions. The age of the culture war is waning, and outsiders like Hurd can lead America back to its roots of limited government, individual rights and — most importantly — respect.