U.S. House, Colorado 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District?
Jeff Hurd has the strongest record in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. Jeff Hurd scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Dwayne L. Romero at 64, as of October 9, 2026. Jeff Hurd's highest marks are courage and command of the job. Dwayne L. Romero's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Clifton Brown (1 of 15 criteria) and Cory Robertson (1 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Unaffiliated
Clifton Brown
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Jeff Hurd
70 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 75
Libertarian
Cory Robertson
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Dwayne L. Romero
64 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Clifton Brown
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Jeff Hurd
- On the record2026-02-21
After he voted Feb. 11, 2026 to end tariffs on Canada, President Trump withdrew his endorsement and endorsed primary challenger Hope Scheppelman; Trump re-endorsed him before the June primary.
- Credit2026-02
Held a telephone town hall with more than 14,000 constituents listening, the Daily Sentinel reported.
Source: The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 2026
- Credit2025-11-25
His Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act (H.R. 2316) was signed into law Nov. 25, 2025.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 2316
Cory Robertson
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Dwayne L. Romero
- On the record2011-01-19
Gov. John Hickenlooper named him executive director of the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade while he was an Aspen City Council member.
Source: Aspen Daily News, Jan. 19, 2011
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 12, 2026, with no periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine or House Ethics finding found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, calendar year 2025, Filing ID 10076786, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed May 29, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075334, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. One of six House Republicans who voted on Feb. 11, 2026 to end tariffs on Canada; President Trump then withdrew his endorsement and backed a primary challenger before re-endorsing him. Also broke with the president on extending ACA tax credits.
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Debated Democrat Dwayne Romero at the Sept. 19, 2026 Club 20 debate and holds telephone town halls; more than 14,000 constituents joined one in February 2026.
Sources: KVNF (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Sept. 23, 2026, The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 2026
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Debated Rep. Jeff Hurd at the Sept. 19, 2026 Club 20 debate and held a town hall forum in Clifton in August 2026.
Sources: KVNF (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Sept. 23, 2026, CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Attorney and first-term member with no censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: GovTrack
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Army officer, city council member, state agency director and company CEO with no conduct finding found.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Sworn in January 2025; no recorded action to reject certified results and no official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: GovTrack
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Served as an Army officer and as an Aspen City Council member. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Aspen Daily News, Jan. 19, 2011
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. U.S. representative since January 2025, in his first term; earlier a federal appellate clerk and an attorney for rural electric cooperatives.
Sources: GovTrack, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Former Aspen City Council member and school board president, executive director of the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade in 2011, Army veteran and CEO of The Romero Group.
Sources: Aspen Daily News, Jan. 19, 2011, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Chairs the Natural Resources Indian and Insular Affairs subcommittee and gives specific plans, led by federal permitting reform.
Sources: GovTrack, CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. States positions in general terms: repeal Medicaid and Medicare cuts in the 2025 budget law, repeal broad tariffs and end the war in Iran.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Clifton Brown. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey; did not return the Denver Post questionnaire.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Clifton Brown, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Jeff Hurd. Answered the Denver Post questionnaire, debated at Club 20, holds telephone town halls and publishes an annual report. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Hurd 2025 Annual Report, KVNF (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Sept. 23, 2026
Cory Robertson. Answered the Denver Post questionnaire; has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Dwayne L. Romero. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, answered the Denver Post questionnaire, gave a CPR interview and debated at Club 20.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Dwayne Romero, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, KVNF (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Sept. 23, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. A Colorado native who grew up in Grand Junction and lives there. About 41 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Colorado (FEC, through June 30, 2026).
Sources: Hurd 2025 Annual Report, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Lives in Snowmass Village, moved to Colorado decades ago and served on the Aspen City Council and school board. About 67 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Colorado (FEC, through June 30, 2026).
Sources: The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Runs a House office with district offices in Grand Junction, Pueblo and Durango; campaign reports are on file with no FEC administrative fine.
Sources: Hurd House site, Contact, FEC administrative fines search
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. Founded and leads The Romero Group, a Basalt real estate management company, and headed a state economic development office. Campaign reports filed with no FEC administrative fine.
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. No Center for Effective Lawmaking score yet (first term, 119th Congress). His Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act, H.R. 2316, was signed into law Nov. 25, 2025.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 2316
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. Missed 4 of 676 roll call votes, 0.6 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. His office reports resolving 576 constituent cases and returning $12.6 million in 2025, plus three telephone town halls; the Daily Sentinel independently reported a 2026 tele-town hall with 14,000 listeners.
Sources: Hurd 2025 Annual Report, The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 2026, Hurd House site, Contact
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. No Lugar Center score yet (first term). His one enacted bill, H.R. 2316, was cosponsored by Democratic Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Sarah McBride, and he is a Problem Solvers Caucus member.
Sources: Hurd 2025 Annual Report, GovTrack
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Clifton Brown. No public record found.
Jeff Hurd. No public record found.
Cory Robertson. No public record found.
Dwayne L. Romero. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District?
Jeff Hurd has the strongest record in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. Jeff Hurd scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Dwayne L. Romero at 64, as of October 9, 2026. Jeff Hurd's highest marks are courage and command of the job. Dwayne L. Romero's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Clifton Brown (1 of 15 criteria) and Cory Robertson (1 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Clifton Brown (Unaffiliated), Jeff Hurd (Republican, incumbent), Cory Robertson (Libertarian), Dwayne L. Romero (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Clifton Brown a good candidate for Congress?
Clifton Brown has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Jeff Hurd a good candidate for Congress?
Jeff Hurd scores 70 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Cory Robertson a good candidate for Congress?
Cory Robertson has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Dwayne L. Romero a good candidate for Congress?
Dwayne L. Romero scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Colorado race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Colorado 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.