| State: | Colorado |
| District Number: | 3 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023. Points indicate the two major cities in the district (Grand Junction in red and Pueblo in blue). |
| Representative: | Lauren Boebert |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Silt |
| Distribution Ref: | [1] |
| Percent Rural: | 64.75 |
| Percent Urban: | 35.25 |
| Population: | 731,516[2] |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $67,311 |
| Percent White: | 66.7 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 25.7 |
| Percent Black: | 0.8 |
| Percent Asian: | 0.8 |
| Percent Native American: | 1.4 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 3.8 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.6 |
| Cpvi: | R+7[3] |
Colorado's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. It takes in most of the rural Western Slope in the state's western third portion, with a wing in the south taking in some of the southern portions of the Eastern Plains. It includes the cities of Grand Junction, Montrose, Durango, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and Pueblo. The district has been represented by Republican Lauren Boebert since 2021.
The district was represented from 1987 to 1993 by Ben Nighthorse Campbell before he ran for the U.S. Senate and switched parties from Democratic to Republican. The district's former representative Scott Tipton lost renomination in 2020 to Lauren Boebert in what was considered a major upset.[4] Boebert won the general election on November 3, 2020, and narrowly won re-election in the closest House race of 2022.
The district is mainly rural and leans Republican, though not as much as the neighboring 4th district. However, the Democrats have a strong base in counties on the I-70 corridor and Pueblo, as well as ski towns such as Aspen, thus keeping the seat competitive.
See also: 1990 United States redistricting cycle. Following the 1990 U.S. census and associated realignment of Colorado congressional districts, the 3rd congressional district consisted of Alamosa, Archuleta, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Lake, La Plata, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Park, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, and Summit counties, as well as portions of Douglas, Fremont, and Jefferson counties.
See also: 2000 United States redistricting cycle. Following the 2000 U.S. census and realignment of congressional districts, the 3rd congressional district consisted of Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Delta, Dolores, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, La Plata, Las Animas, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, and San Miguel counties and most of Otero County.
See also: 2010 United States redistricting cycle. Following the 2010 U.S. census and realignment of congressional districts, the 3rd congressional district underwent very little change, and continued to cover 27 of the previous counties, excluding Las Animas and Otero counties.[5]
See also: 2020 United States redistricting cycle. Following the 2020 U.S. census and realignment of congressional districts, the 3rd congressional district lost Jackson County, Routt County, and most of Eagle County to the 2nd district as well as Custer and Lake counties to the 7th district. It also gained Las Animas and Otero counties from the 4th district. This configuration of the district took effect starting from the 2022 elections.
The district has two major population centers, in Grand Junction and Pueblo. The two cities and their surrounding rural areas provide a competitive arena for congressional races. Grand Junction, on the Western Slope, is a Republican stronghold, while Pueblo, a town with a large Latino population and (by Colorado norms) a heavily unionized workforce, provides a base of support for Democrats.
The Denver Post describes the district as:
| County | Seat | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Alamosa | Alamosa | 16,592 | |
| 7 | Archuleta | Pagosa Springs | 14,003 | |
| 21 | Conejos | Conejos | 7,579 | |
| 23 | Costilla | San Luis | 3,603 | |
| 29 | Delta | Delta | 31,602 | |
| 33 | Dolores | Dove Creek | 2,455 | |
| 37 | Eagle | Eagle | 55,285 | |
| 45 | Garfield | Glenwood Springs | 62,271 | |
| 51 | Gunnison | Gunnison | 17,267 | |
| 53 | Hinsdale | Lake City | 775 | |
| 55 | Huerfano | Walsenburg | 7,082 | |
| 67 | La Plata | Durango | 56,607 | |
| 71 | Las Animas | Trinidad | 14,327 | |
| 77 | Mesa | Grand Junction | 158,636 | |
| 79 | Mineral | Creede | 931 | |
| 81 | Moffat | Craig | 13,177 | |
| 83 | Montezuma | Cortez | 26,468 | |
| 85 | Montrose | Montrose | 43,811 | |
| 89 | Otero | La Junta | 18,303 | |
| 91 | Ouray | Ouray | 5,100 | |
| 97 | Pitkin | Aspen | 16,876 | |
| 101 | Pueblo | Pueblo | 169,544 | |
| 103 | Rio Blanco | Meeker | 6,569 | |
| 105 | Rio Grande | Del Norte | 11,325 | |
| 109 | Saguache | Saguache | 6,623 | |
| 111 | San Juan | Silverton | 803 | |
| 113 | San Miguel | Telluride | 8,003 |
| Election results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Results |
| 2000 | President | Bush 54% – Al Gore 39% |
| 2004 | President | Bush 55% – Kerry 44% |
| 2008 | President | McCain 50% – Obama 47% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 52% – Obama 46% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 52% – Clinton 40% |
| Senate | Glenn 50% – Bennet 44% | |
| 2018 | Governor | Stapleton 52% – Polis 48% |
| 2020 | President | Trump 52% – Biden 46% |
| Senate | Gardner 53% – Hickelooper 45% | |
| 2022 | Governor | Polis 49.5% – Ganahl 47.3% |
| Senate | O'Dea 48.9% - Bennet 47.8% | |
| Member | Party | Term duration | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1915 | |||||||
| align=left | Edward Keating | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | Guy Urban Hardy | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | John Andrew Martin | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – December 23, 1939 | Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Died. | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | December 23, 1939 – November 5, 1940 | |||||
| align=left | William Evans Burney | Democratic | nowrap | November 5, 1940 – January 3, 1941 | Elected to finish Martin's term. Did not run for the next term. | ||
| align=left | J. Edgar Chenoweth | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1941– January 3, 1949 | Elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | John Henry Marsalis | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 | Elected in 1948. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | J. Edgar Chenoweth | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1965 | Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | Frank Evans | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1979 | Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Retired. | ||
| align=left | Ray Kogovsek | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985 | Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Retired. | ||
| align=left | Mike Strang | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987 | Elected in 1984. Lost re-election. | ||
| align=left | Ben Nighthorse Campbell | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 | Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | ||
Scott McInnis | Republican | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 | Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Retired. | 1993–2003 | |||
| 2003–2013 | |||||||
| align=left | John Salazar | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2011 | Elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election. | ||
Scott Tipton | Republican | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2021 | Elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Lost renomination. | ||||
| 2013–2023 | |||||||
Lauren Boebert | Republican | January 3, 2021 – present | Elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Ran in the 4th district. | ||||
| 2023–present | |||||||
| align=center | 1914 • 1916 • 1918 • 1920 • 1922 • 1924 • 1926 • 1928 • 1930 • 1932 • 1934 • 1936 • 1938 • 1940 (Special) • 1940 • 1942 • 1944 • 1946 • 1948 • 1950 • 1952 • 1954 • 1956 • 1958 • 1960 • 1962 • 1964 • 1966 • 1968 • 1970 • 1972 • 1974 • 1976 • 1978 • 1980 • 1982 • 1984 • 1986 • 1988 • 1990 • 1992 • 1994 • 1996 • 1998 • 2000 • 2002 • 2004 • 2006 • 2008 • 2010 • 2012 • 2014 • 2016 • 2018 • 2020 • 2022 |