President Donald Trump announced Saturday he is withdrawing his endorsement of Republican Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd after the first-term congressman voted in favor of H.J.Res.72, a resolution targeting Trump’s emergency tariff authority.
Trump announced on Truth Social he is instead backing Hope Scheppelman, a critical care nurse practitioner and U.S. Navy veteran, to challenge Hurd in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
Hurd, who represents a sprawling Western and Southern Colorado district, framed his vote as a constitutional matter. “Article I gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to levy tariffs,” he said in a statement released Thursday. “Those delegations were never intended to serve as a permanent vehicle for sweeping, long-term trade policy.” He also cited direct economic concerns, noting that agricultural producers and the largest steel rail mill in the United States — both located within his district — depend on stable, predictable trade conditions.
Trump dismissed that rationale, writing that Hurd is “more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America.” Trump noted he has pulled an endorsement only once before, from former Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks during his 2022 Senate race.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
