The two candidates vying for Colorado’s largest congressional district told constituents in Pueblo on Monday night that they are less concerned about playing partisan politics in Washington and more focused on protecting the rural area’s interests in water rights, affordable housing and farming.

Republican Jeff Hurd and Democrat Adam Frisch found themselves agreeing on a host of issues, including the country’s ballooning national debt, and vowing to take the political temperature down.

The two candidates participated in the second and final debate in the race at the Pueblo Community College Hoag Theater. Colorado Politics reporter Ernest Luning served as moderator.

The state’s largest district covers the Western Slope, including Pueblo, Huerfano, Custer, Alamosa, and part of Las Animas counties.

The elephant not in the room

The winner of the CD3 race will replace U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who opted to leave the district to run in the heavily Republican Congressional District 4 this year. In 2022, Frisch, a former Aspen City Councilman, came close to unseating Boebert, who went on to win a second term.

When asked if they could work with Boebert, who is favored to win in the 4th Congressional District, Frisch and Hurd, both said yes.

Hurd said when it comes to rural issues, he believes he will work well with Boebert to focus on economic opportunities and jobs.

“I think when it comes to rural issues, when it comes to energy as well, there are a tremendous number of opportunities where we can agree and advance an agenda,” said Hurd, an attorney from Grand Junction.

Frisch said he and Boebert will work together on rural issues, but he noted that a large portion of the 4th CD is a Denver suburb, which means it has less in common with the 3rd CD. Throughout the 90-minute debate, Frisch stressed that he is not about the partisan politics that has become the norm in Washington, noting that he would work with Boebert and Republicans alike to do what’s best for Colorado and the district.

Turning down the temperature

Both candidates said the rhetoric and “anger-tainment” in Washington need to change.

Hurd compared his temperament to being about “as exciting as a bread sandwich.”

“I would say don’t be fooled, though,” he said. “I may not fight loud, but I will fight smart with our district.”

Pointing to Boebert, Frisch said “anger-tainment” on both sides of the aisle needs to go.

“I think it’s showing up and joining the problem solvers caucus in the House,” he said. “I’ve heard it’s more fun to be in the majority than the minority, but I’m going there to work with everybody. And a lot of issues that affect rural Colorado, about water, ag, ranching, and farming, are nonpartisan. I’ll be working hard to make sure that I support team Colorado again.”

Cost of living

With local and national polls showing voters are worried about the cost of living, Frisch said that, after driving 70,000 miles around the district to campaign, he feels like he’s been taking part in a focus group.

“Without a doubt, the most common theme is how expensive everything is,” Frisch said. “Child care, health care, groceries and part of the conversation, especially in Southern Colorado.”

Notably, he said, wage is a big subject because Southern Colorado’s pay scale is 30% lower than in big cities.

Frisch said he will work to address wage gaps in rural districts, such as the 3rd CD, and then find ways to tackle cost-of-living issues.

Hurd said the answer is growing the energy sector. The high cost of energy is due to “bad Democratic policies,” which he said operates as a hidden tax on both the poor and middle class.

“Bad energy policy is raising all of your costs,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to unleash American energy and grow that part of the economy. We need to reduce wasteful federal spending, as well. And then we also need to reduce regulatory burdens, the things that also add hidden costs to our economy as well.”

Water rights

Both Frisch and Hurd agreed that water is the district’s most important resource and protecting it from outside resources is paramount.

Hurd also called water a “lifeblood” of the district, which he said must be protected.

In addition to protecting the Colorado River, Hurd said he would work to prevent outside interests from taking water from the rural district.

Frisch also called water the “lifeblood for ranching, farming and biodiversity.” While protecting the Colorado River compact is a meaningful conversation, Frisch stressed that focusing on the Rio Grande and the Arkansas River is just as important.

Frisch said it’s essential to keep local water rights out of legislative hands and out of the courts, where decisions would be made by judges who may not even understand what they are ruling on.

Affordable housing

Frisch said there is no doubt that the district and Colorado are facing a supply-and-demand issue. He said that, if elected to Congress, he would work to get more federal funds into the region to support local city councils, commissions, and housing authorities that make local housing decisions.

Hurd called the concept “Democratic math,” noting that the federal dollars Frisch is referring to should be used more for infrastructure. Hurd said the government needs to reduce regulations and red tape that prevent housing construction. He said last year, only 500 housing permits were approved in Pueblo County, when there needed to be 1,400.

Healthcare

Both candidates agreed that rural healthcare in Colorado is inadequate.

Hurd described the issue as personal, noting that he had to drive his mother to Denver because the district lacked the healthcare services she needed to fight cancer.

Frisch said that besides the issue of inadequate medical facilities and services, it also poses economic problems, noting that hospitals and medical clinics serve as major employers. When they can no longer be sustainable, people lose jobs along with vital medical services, he said. 

“Every hospital is either the first, second, or third largest employer in all 27 counties,” Frisch said. “We do not want to lose any of them, yet half of them are operating on one or 2% margins. We need to make sure they stay open.”

Abortion

Hurd said he is “pro-life with exceptions” and believes abortion mandates should be left up to each state.

Frisch was adamant that the federal and state governments should not dictate a medical choice that should solely be left up to women.

Social security and the national debt

Hurd and Frisch agreed that the $35 trillion national debt is unacceptable. Both candidates said it will take a bipartisan effort to address the problem.

Hurd called the national debt a “bipartisan disgrace” that Congress is loading up for “our children and grandchildren with debt that is going to be crippling them.”

Hurd said Democrats and Republicans need to come together when it comes to the issue of spending. When asked which programs he would cut, he said he believes no one program should take a significant hit. Instead, all programs should be reduced to start lowering the spending curve, he said.

Agreeing with his opponent, Frisch said “really big conversations” need to happen, while noting the best way to shrink the debt is to focus on growing the economy.

Both candidates agreed that entitlement programs, such as Social Security, should be protected.

Proposition 131

While Hurd said he does not like talking about how he will vote in November, he has concerns about Proposition 131, which would implement ranked-choice voting in Colorado elections.

Frisch agreed, saying the the policy is not in Colorado’s best interest.

Proposition 127

Frisch and Hurd do not support the ballot measure to ban the hunting of bobcats, lynx and mountain lions.

Hurd said the wolf restoration program in Colorado, which has turned into a disaster, is a good example of why these ballot measures are a bad idea.