The Colorado Democratic Party sent voters in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District a mailer that appears aimed at persuading them to back the Libertarian candidate in the race in order to siphon support from the Republican nominee.
The missive includes a picture of James Wiley and labels the Libertarian from Pueblo “the strongest Trump supporter in the race.” It also includes a picture of Republican Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney, and calls him “a corporate lawyer who won’t take a position on immigration or Trump.”
Adam Frisch, the Democrat running in the 3rd District, also appears on the mailer and is labeled as an “independent small-business man.”
The 3rd District, which spans the Western Slope into Pueblo and southeastern Colorado, leans Republican. It’s currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who is running for reelection in the 4th Congressional District on the other side of the state.
Frisch, who lost to Boebert by 546 votes in 2022, is expected to be competitive in the 3rd District despite its GOP lean because of his fundraising prowess and moderate stances. Hurd is a first-time candidate with a low profile. He has refused to say if he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 or whether he will vote for him this year.
On social media, Wiley thanked Democrats for promoting his campaign.
Democrats appear to see a path to victory in persuading Republican voters who would never back a Democrat to choose a Libertarian in the 3rd District this year.
“More Republican and unaffiliated voters in the (GOP) primary voted for other candidates than Jeff Hurd, so it’s clear that voters want a different choice in that race,” Shad Murib, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, said in an interview Monday.
The Colorado Democratic Party reported spending more than $250,000 this month on mailers supporting Frisch. Murib said the mailer was sent to a “pretty wide range” of voters, though he didn’t get into specifics.
Nick Bayer, a consultant working for Hurd’s campaign, blasted the mailer in a written statement. He said Hurd is focusing on “talking about the issues that matter everyday to CD3 voters” rather than campaign tactics.
The Frisch campaign, which donated $115,000 to the party this month, denied any involvement in the mailer. But during the Republican primary in the 3rd District this year, Frisch bought TV ads aimed at persuading voters to back one of Hurd’s five Republican opponents because the Frisch campaign saw them as easier to beat in November. The ads specifically boosted the profile of former state Rep. Ron Hanks, an election denier.
The Frisch campaign’s primary ads added to $900,000 in spending during the Republican primary by Rocky Mountain Values PAC, a Democratic group that purchased TV and radio spots, as well as mailers and newspaper ads, elevating Hank’s profile in the district and attacking Hurd.
Hannah Goodman, chairwoman for the Colorado Libertarian Party, chalked up the mailer to politics as usual. She doesn’t think it will be effective in swinging the race to Frisch.
“It’s almost like dumping a massive donation in his lap,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to capitalizing on what a gift and blessing that really is.”
The Sun also obtained copies of two other mailers set out recently in the district that question Hurd’s Republican bona fides, though it’s unclear who’s behind them.
One mailer says Hurd “won’t support Trump’s immigration plan” while another says “he does not agree with aggressive enforcement of our laws and even favors giving citizenship to illegals.”
The mailers don’t disclose the sender. The Frisch campaign and the Colorado Democratic Party denied that they sent the mail pieces.
The lack of disclosure may violate federal campaign finance laws.
Libertarian candidates have appeared to play spoiler before in Colorado.
In 2022, the Libertarian candidate in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District upended the race after winning 9,280 votes, or 4% of the total. Democrat Yadira Caraveo beat her Republican opponent, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, by roughly 1,600 votes – or less than a percentage point – in the district that spans the northeastern Denver suburbs along U.S. 85 into Greeley.
Some Republican candidates running this year have signed a pledge created by the Colorado Libertarian Party in exchange for the Libertarian candidate in their race dropping out. Hurd declined to sign it.
