President Donald Trump has formally endorsed U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd’s bid for reelection in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, calling the first-term Republican “an Incredible Representative for the Great People” of the sprawling, largely rural seat.

It’s the Grand Junction attorney’s first endorsement from Trump, who endorsed Hurd’s three fellow Republican U.S. House members in 2024 and has already issued formal statements of support for each of them ahead of next year’s election.

Hurd was elected last year by a comfortable margin in the Republican-leaning seat, which covers most of the Western Slope and parts of Southern Colorado, including Pueblo County and the San Luis Valley.

Initially, Hurd had challenged U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a staunch Trump ally, the GOP primary, but midway through the campaign Boebert moved across the state to the heavily Republican 4th Congressional District, where she won election to a third term.

“Jeff has a strong Record of SUCCESS, and resounding support from his Community,” Trump said early Saturday in a post to Truth Social, the social media site he controls.

Trump lauded Hurd with a string of praise for supporting the Republican agenda.

“In Congress, he is fighting tirelessly to Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Support our Incredible Military/Veterans, Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Defend our always under siege Second Amendment, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Trump said.

Trump closed his post with the same phrasing he’s used for years in endorsements: “Jeff Hurd has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

Hurd welcomed Trump’s backing with a post on X that repeated many of the accolades Trump bestowed in his endorsement.

“Colorado’s 3rd deserves strong, effective leadership that delivers results,” Hurd said. “I look forward to working with President Trump to keep our border secure, advance American energy dominance, support our veterans, defend our freedoms, and ensure peace through strength.”

Hurd’s was one of 28 endorsements of House Republican incumbents posted by Trump in quick succession Saturday.

Hurd’s primary challenger, Bayfield Republican Hope Scheppelman, a former vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, noted in a comment to Colorado Politics that a Trump endorsement doesn’t guarantee a win in the 3rd CD’s GOP primary.

“Just like President Trump’s previous endorsement of Scott Tipton, his staff has lied to him about Jeff Hurd’s actual anti-Trump agenda in support of Ilhan Omar, against the J6 prisoners and against Trump’s successful America First tariff strategy,” Scheppelman said in a text message. “His staffers are trying to put lipstick on a pig but those who know the facts aren’t buying it.”

In 2020, Trump endorsed former U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton’s bid for a sixth term representing the 3rd CD when the Cortez Republican was serving as state co-chair of Trump’s reelection campaign. Months later, however, Boebert unseated Tipton in the Republican primary, all while maintaining that she was a more enthusiastic supporter of Trump’s MAGA movement than the incumbent.

Scheppleman has been hammering Hurd recently for his decisive vote last month against censuring U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and stripping the Minnesota Democrat of her committee assignments in response to her comments about the assassination of conservative organizer Charlie Kirk.

Scheppelman also faults Hurd for saying he was “deeply disappointed” by the sweeping pardons and sentence commutations Trump issued earlier this year for those charged with assaulting law enforcement officers in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol,

Calling himself a “rule of law Republican,” Hurd described Jan. 6 as “a dark day in American history, and it was an assault on our republic and the peaceful transfer of power.”

Old Snowmass Democrat Alex Kelloff, the entrepreneur and former finance executive running against Hurd, told Colorado Politics that Trump’s endorsement mischaracterized the Republican incumbent’s activity in Congress.

“Trump said Jeff Hurd won’t let you down — but Hurd has ONLY let you down!” Kelloff said in a text message. “He’s let you down if you rely on Medicaid. He’s let you down if you’re a rancher being undercut by Argentinian beef. He’s let you down if your SNAP assistance is set to expire next week. If you rely on a rural hospital that’s considering closing or cutting services, Hurd has let you down.”

In a fundraising email sent to supporters on Monday, Kelloff said Trump’s stamp of approval “(wasn’t) about helping Colorado — it’s about rewarding another political ally who’s willing to support his agenda, which is harming all Americans, especially working families across Colorado.”

Although Democrat Kamala Harris defeated Trump by 11 points statewide, Trump carried Colorado’s 3rd CD last November by just under 10 points, almost twice Hurd’s 5-point margin over Democratic nominee Adam Frisch.