Freshman Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) has joked that if you want to look for someone with good judgment, don’t look at someone running for Congress.
But now, serving Colorado‘s Third Congressional District and just at the start of his first term, Hurd is trying to change the culture at the Capitol and prove that nice guys can still get ahead — even in Washington, D.C.
Hurd, who once aspired to be a priest, was elected to Congress last November when Republicans won back a trifecta in Washington. He was sworn into office in early January, and shortly after, President Donald Trump hit the ground running with his aggressive second-term agenda.
But in an era where most votes end on the House floor along party lines, Hurd believes that developing solid relationships with his peers, especially across the aisle, will be to his benefit.
“If you’re a jerk and you’re somebody that doesn’t get along with people I think it’s harder, I’ve already seen that in my experience it’s harder to maybe advance things in a way that might be helpful if you don’t have as much relationship capital,” Hurd told the Washington Examiner.
“It’s a lot harder to disagree with somebody that you like,” Hurd added.
In his short time in office, surrounded by many outspoken and attention-grabbing colleagues, Hurd has already developed a reputation for his friendly demeanor.
“[If] I had to describe him in one word, I would say delightful,” Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) told the Washington Examiner.
“He’s so smart, he has this incredible background, he got here already knowing a lot of what he’s doing. But he doesn’t puff his chest out and walk around like he’s super important. He walks around like someone who’s interested in other people, interested in learning, and wants this place to function,” she said.
He is a Colorado native who represents Grand Junction, the city where he grew up. The congressman’s original dream was to become a priest in the Catholic Church. He went through seminary school from 2001 through 2002 before meeting his now-wife, Barbora Hurd. He and his wife now reside in Grand Junction with their five kids. Hurd went on to receive law degrees from the University of Denver and Columbia Law School.
“One thing that I really feel motivated to do is to serve and I would’ve gotten to do it had I become a priest but I get to do it here as a member of Congress, now it’s the people of Western and Southern Colorado and that’s the families in what is one of the most beautiful parts of the world,” Hurd said.
Hurd, who was an attorney at a Denver-based law firm prior to entering Congress, jumped into the political fray after deciding to primary Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who represented the district at that time. Boebert ended up switching districts, avoiding a nasty primary fight.
Hurd previously dubbed himself an “accidental politician” to the Washington Examiner during an interview late last year after winning on his first try for office. Now five months into his first term, the would-be priest, lawyer, and now congressman doesn’t discriminate when making friends — Republican or Democrat.
“I will tell you there are a lot of great members on the Republican side in my conference, on the Democratic side,” he said.
“You might not get that impression from TV, talk shows, news that you see every night but fundamentally, there are a lot of great people here for good reasons and they want to do good work,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Still, Hurd has shown a willingness to go against the grain if he disagrees with a policy. The Colorado Republican was one of 12 Republicans who sent a letter to House GOP leadership declaring that they would not support a final reconciliation bill that would reduce Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.
“We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,” the letter, sent in April, read.
Medicaid cuts have been a central debate throughout negotiations for Republicans’ massive budget bill to advance Trump’s agenda while reducing spending.
Hurd also co-led a bipartisan group of lawmakers who introduced a measure to rein in Trump’s tariff authority.
“This isn’t a political issue for me,” Hurd said in a statement announcing the legislation. “I believe Congress must reclaim its constitutionally mandated authority, and I would support this measure regardless of who is in the White House.”
The Trade Review Act of 2025 would make it so that any tariffs proposed by a president would need congressional approval.
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Bipartisanship is hard to come by in such a polarizing political environment; friendships across the aisle are often displayed when the cameras are rolling. But some unusual friendships still spawn in a place of high tensions and ultra-partisanship. Conservative firebrand Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) gives left-wing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) a high-five, fist-bump, or holler anytime he passes her on the way out of votes. These small snippets show what the power of relationships can do.
Hurd’s friendships with members on the other side of the aisle make many Democrats willing to say he is not only nice to everyone, but willing to listen to people he does not agree with politically.
“I have gotten the chance to get to know him, and what I’ve always found him to be is reasonable, he’s practical and willing to talk and willing to listen, and I don’t think you can ask for anything else,” Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) told the Washington Examiner.
This willingness to listen is not only on display in Washington.
Earlier this year, after a slew of viral protests seen at GOP townhalls, Republicans were warned by the National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), to stop holding in-person town hall meetings following the backlash.
Members held off on hosting these in-person townhalls, and some still do, but Hurd met with his protestors. He had conversations with them and explained why he believes what he believes and heard their concerns. He even posed for a photo with a sign that read “Jeff Hurd is a coward.”
“When it comes to people, policies, issues, there’s a genuine interest that I have, that I like that comes through the people that I meet, and the issues that they bring to me, I generally know a little bit about most things,” Hurd said.
Congress is known not to shy away from theatrics and name-calling. From Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) getting into an all-out name-calling match in a hearing to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy confronting former Rep. Matt Gaetz on the House floor, friendly moments do not receive the same virality.
Hurd has shied away from these theatrics, however, and it has not gone unnoticed.
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“I’ve always noticed how nice he is, but I always thought he was trying to kiss up to me because Utah has the greatest snow on earth,” said Hurd’s mentor, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), told the Washington Examiner.
“To hear he is nice to everyone is a breath of fresh air. All jokes aside, he is such a genuine person, and I’m glad he was willing to step into the fray of congressional politics,” he continued.
