GOP candidates for CD-3 describe priorities if elected to U.S. House

Six Republican candidates are vying for the party nomination for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District House seat on June 25.

All six candidates are new to the national politics scene. The winner will face the presumptive Democratic nominee, Adam Frisch, who lost to U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert by 546 votes in the 2022 general election.

Boebert is running in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District this election cycle, opening the door to new faces in the CD-3.

At The Durango Herald’s request, the candidates answered six questions related to local, national and international issues, including public lands administration, abortion and foreign aid.

Voting information

June 25: Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; all ballots must be received by the county clerk by 7 p.m.

The questions were drawn from responses to a Voter Voices 2024 survey, which is being conducted across more than 60 newsrooms in Colorado and asks readers to rank their top issues and describe what they would like candidates to focus on this election cycle. Among the top issues were democracy, good government and the economy.

The candidates’ responses have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. Candidates’ responses are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.

Lew Webb chose to answer questions over the phone instead providing written answers. And Ron Hanks did not respond to the questions.

Stephen Varela: I am a battle-tested conservative, Hispanic family man, combat veteran, State Board of Education member representing southern and western Colorado, and a former Democrat working to unite the Republican Party behind Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson so we can implement conservative policies – close the border, end woke indoctrination in our schools, reduce prices and the cost of living, and restore respect for the rule of law.

Lew Webb: I am not a politician or interested in being one. I am age appropriate because my family has been raised – I don't have a young family at home. My business background and problem-solving and working with lots of people to come to satisfactory conclusions has been successful.

Russ Andrews: I have specific solutions to problems that plague the Western Slope that I have developed over decades. For example, all five of my opponents claim they want to stop illegal immigration. Great! But how? I have a seven-point plan on how to repair the border.

I have lived in the Western Slope for 30 consecutive years (longer than any of my opponents). In short, I have happily served my community in a variety of ways.

I have been a financial adviser for 36 years and have also had a political and financial radio talk show on KNFO for nearly 15 years.

I have an analytical mind and a thorough understanding of economics, which is a precious rare commodity in Congress. As a financial adviser, I am a great listener.

Curtis McCrackin: I have a long history of operating small businesses in a small rural environment. You don't stay in business in a small town unless you're an honest person with integrity.

Jeff Hurd: No one will work harder than me – or more effectively – to make life better for western and southern Colorado. Rural Colorado needs serious leadership; without it we’ll be left behind. As the candidate who grew up in the district, who works here, and who is raising his children here, I know the challenges and opportunities facing our communities. I will be laser-focused on the border, improving the economy and protecting water and agriculture.

Stephen Varela: My top priority is to close and secure the border. Why? Because this is something that can be accomplished quickly and with minimal cost: build more walls, hire more border agents and immigration judges, reinstate Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, deport people who cross illegally, and shut down the cartels who have flooded our nation with fentanyl. This can be paid for by reclaiming unused COVID funds and repealing Biden’s expensive “green new deal” fantasies.

Lew Webb: Corruption in our government and its bureaucracies (is my biggest issue), and I will address it head-on.

Russ Andrews: (Andrews listed his seven-point plan, which exceeded his word-count limit. We have summarized his bullet points.) Immigration: finishing the border wall; installing a death penalty for drug dealers; installing massive escalating tariffs on the two countries that are murdering our kids: China and Mexico; base all legal immigration on merit; force illegal immigrants to apply for asylum in somebody else’s country – not at our border, and defunding all sanctuary cities, counties and states; and immediately deport Joe Biden’s illegal aliens as law enforcement encounters them.

Curtis McCrackin: Fiscal responsibility. Balancing the budget. Voting no on almost anything that does not achieve this.

Jeff Hurd: My top priority is securing the southern border of the United States. We must stop the flow of illegal immigration, drugs, and crime coming into our communities. Our federal government must enforce existing laws and give Border Patrol and law enforcement the resources and critical infrastructure necessary to apply those laws. Adequate funding exists to accomplish this priority and I will push hard to get federal agencies to effectively use it.

Stephen Varela: Our objective must be to stop Joe Biden and his far-left allies in Congress by passing much-needed, conservative reforms, such as closing the border, reducing prices and the cost of living, ending woke indoctrination of our schools and restoring respect for the rule of law. Republicans need to unite on these core goals and work with open-minded members across the aisle.

Lew Webb: I am a problem-solver and used to working with lots of employees, customers, vendors and manufacturers, so my intent is to solve problems. I am not really interested in reaching across the aisle. … It seems to me that when conservatives reach across the aisle, we get pulled a little bit further to the liberal side, and I'm not interested in that. I will work with anyone who is interested in solving the problems in our government.

Russ Andrews: My first platform plank has my Congressional staff setting-up meetings with all 434 other Congresspersons along with all 100 senators to find common ground wherein we could co-sponsor legislation. I believe that many legislators operate on false premises that are peddled by a very left-leaning media. I hope to explain my positions based upon facts and logic, and further hope to pass bipartisan legislation that helps improve the lives of my constituents.

Curtis McCrackin: Compromise is part of everyday life. I will treat each interaction with others with respect and integrity. Castigating any individual because you disagree does not make you strong, it makes you weak.

Jeff Hurd: Ronald Reagan once said, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.” That’s the perspective I will bring to Congress. I will seek to be the hardest-working and best-prepared Congressman: a workhorse who doesn’t grandstand but who shows up, asks smart questions and is an effective leader for members of both parties to pass a conservative agenda that helps southern and western Colorado.

Stephen Varela: We need long-term solutions to Colorado’s water problems, and I want us to think big. The Colorado River is being drained by thirsty downstate users … so let’s create desalination plants to ease the pressure on – and restore the health of – the Colorado River.

I oppose Biden’s Executive Order 14008, which aims to lock up 30% of all U.S. lands and water by 2030. I stand with the counties and communities fighting to keep their land and water. Halt the Dolores Monument!

Lew Webb: I will absolutely prioritize those issues of land and water in CD3 when they are issues into which a United States Congressman has purview. In fact, very few of those things come under the purview of a U.S. representative and are state issues. But when there are things that come under the purview of a U.S. Congressman, I will absolutely prioritize those because I would be the representative for CD3 to the United States Congress.

Russ Andrews: One of my top priorities will be to claw back the tax dollars we send to the Swamp. I have met with a number of mayors across the district, and have identified municipal projects that could use federal assistance to get completed.

Curtis McCrackin: These are largely state of Colorado issues. Current public land practices work. The BLM and National Forest agencies do a great job. Water storage will need to be added in the future both in Colorado and in the lower states. Water agreements need to be kept.

Jeff Hurd: I will fight for critical water infrastructure projects that protect Colorado’s most precious resource and serve as a lifeblood for our communities in Southwest Colorado. This includes congressionally directed spending as well as creative “win-win” financing mechanisms. When it comes to federal land policy, I will work to responsibly protect our public resources and do so in a way that supports our communities and the economies that are the backbone of western and southern Colorado.

Stephen Varela: We must reduce the cost of living and make America a great place to create good-paying jobs. Inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods, so let’s reduce the runaway deficit spending and create more affordable goods and services by ending the punitive regulations on employers and job producers. I will vote to make the Trump tax cuts permanent and work to reverse the Biden Administration’s anti-energy and anti-farmer regulatory policies, which drive up the cost of energy and food.

Lew Webb: The burden on Americans is generated primarily by our government. And here's how: it’s bureaucracies. … Gas and diesel prices are stupid high because we are paying other countries exorbitant fees for their petroleum while we are not accessing the resources that we have here in America. … Anything that anybody buys is exceptionally high because everything has to be trucked. … The percentage of the cost of everything that can be attributed to government fees and regulations, it's huge.

Russ Andrews: Prices increased by 6% under Donald Trump, while, here in the Western Slope, prices have skyrocketed by more than 25% under Joe Biden. … We need to reform Social Security to allow people to place some of their retirement savings into the stock markets.

I also believe we should consider eliminating the Departments of Education and Energy to save $250 billion each year.

We should also block grant all 80 welfare programs to the states. Estimates are that welfare spending is fraught with 20% fraud. Welfare spending should be decreased by 2% each year for 10 years which would further save some $300 billion/year.

Curtis McCrackin: Limit government fiscal policies, reducing inflation. It will take time because we have made a mess of it.

Jeff Hurd: I am running for Congress because rural Colorado is being left behind. Our best export is our children, who leave and don’t come back. I want to create economic opportunities so that they can, if they want, stay and thrive in western and southern Colorado. This requires a healthy business climate that fosters larger economic sectors (such as energy, mining, and outdoor recreation) and the small businesses that serve as foundations of our economy.

Stephen Varela:

Lew Webb:

Russ Andrews:

Curtis McCrackin:

Jeff Hurd:

Kathryn Squyres is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at ksquyres@durangoherald.com.

A previous version of this story mistakenly left off Hurd’s response on abortion. The story has been updated to include this response.