Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd took an early lead and kept it Tuesday in the crowded Republican primary in the Colorado congressional seat left open when U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert moved across the state to run from a safer district, according to preliminary, unofficial returns posted shortly after polls closed.

Backed by many of Colorado’s current and former Republican elected officials, Hurd led former state Rep. Ron Hanks, whose underfunded campaign was buoyed by nearly $1 million in spending by Democrats and a progressive group that labelled Hanks “too extreme” for the district.

The Associated Press declared Hurd the winner at 8:11 p.m.

Other Republicans running in the six-way primary included State Board of Education member Stephen Varela and first-time candidates Russ Andrews, Lew Webb and Curtis McCrackin, who trailed in single digits in preliminary returns.

Hurd will face Democratic nominee Adam Frisch, who lost to Boebert by fewer than 600 votes in 2022 and set fundraising records in his bid for a rematch with the incumbent before she switched districts earlier this year.

As of 11 p.m., Hurd led with 35,806 votes, or 41%, according to the Colorado secretary of state’s website. Hanks had 24,582 votes, or 28%, followed by Varela with 8,171 votes, or about 9%, Webb with 6,913, or 8%, McCrackin with 5,650 votes, or 7%, and Andrews in last place with 5,199 votes, or 6%.

The Republican-leaning 3rd CD covers most of Colorado’s Western Slope and parts of Southern Colorado, including Pueblo County and the San Luis Valley, anchored by Grand Junction, Pueblo, Durango and Aspen.

Boebert has represented the seat since 2020, when she upset a five-term Republican in the GOP primary. She announced late last year that she was moving to the solidly Republican 4th Congressional District in what Boebert described as an attempt to prevent Democrats from flipping her old seat.

Frisch, a business owner and former member of Aspen’s city council, was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Hurd claimed victory in a subdued social media post nearly two hours after his race had been called.

“A gigantic thank you to you, CO-03, for your vote today,” Hurd tweeted. “On to the general election in November, where a brighter future for Colorado families will be on the ballot.”

After offering Hurd his congratulations, Hurd came out swinging in a statement describing himself as “an independent voice of reason for rural Colorado,” adding that he intends to go to Washington to curb inflation, secure the border and protect the right to abortion.

“My hat always goes off to anyone who is willing to stand up to represent their country and community,” Frisch said. “It’s unfortunate, however, that both political parties often cater to the extremes and prioritize party loyalty over the best interests of the country. It’s why I entered this race. I won’t be a yes man for either party.”

Taking aim at his freshly minted general election opponent, Frisch added: “The last thing our district needs is another corporate lawyer funded by corporate PAC money. My presumptive opponent won’t have the backbone to stand up to Washington interests. He will choose a federal abortion ban over trusting the women of CD3 to have the freedom to make their own health care choices and he threatens one of our most precious resources: water.”

The president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a political action committee aligned with House Republican leadership, congratulated Hurd on winning the primary.

“Democrats tried every dirty trick in the book to meddle in this race and advance their preferred candidate into the fall,” said Dan Conston, CLF’s president, in a statement, referring to heavy spending by Frisch and a progressive group that attacked Hurd while highlighting Hanks’ conservative position on immigration and abortion rights.

“Their failure was Colorado’s success,” Conston added. “Tonight’s result ensures this seat will stay red in November.”

In the week before ballots were due, the GOP group poured more than $400,000 into last-minute advertising that described Hanks as the liberals’ preferred candidate.

The 3rd CD, which hasn’t elected a Democrat since 2008, is rated “lean Republican” by national election forecasters, some of whom noted that heated reactions to Boebert could have tilted the vote toward her Democratic challenger, Frisch, in the last election but likely won’t be in play without the polarizing incumbent on the ballot.