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Boyd leading Hymes in unofficial results for county commissioner

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June 25, 2024, 7:51 pm

Tom Boyd Facebook photo.

In unofficial results, Tom Boyd of Edwards appeared poised to beat Sarah Smith Hymes of Avon in the District 2 Eagle County commissioner Democratic primary race Tuesday night.

As of 10:15 p.m., Eagle County unofficial results had Boyd leading Hymes 2,616 votes to 2,464 with 5,080 total ballots counted. That’s a margin of 152 votes, or 51.5% to 48.5%.

There’s no Republican candidate in the race for the seat in the Nov. 5 general election, but an unaffiliated candidate can still petition onto the ballot to take on Boyd in November. That deadline is July 11. Write-in candidates from any party have until July 18 to join the race but won’t appear on the ballot.

Go to the Eagle County website for the latest results and more voting information.

On Wednesday, Boyd posted the following statement on Facebook:

“We won! Thank you to everyone who helped make my campaign a success in Tuesday’s Democratic Primary for Eagle County Commissioner District 2. Sarah Smith Hymes is an excellent person, candidate, and leader for our community and I congratulate her on an excellent race and look forward to working with her in the future in all the many ways that she contributes positively to our communities.

“Today I met with my core campaign team to get to work on the Eagle County Commissioner District 2 general election in November. This race isn’t over yet! Today we also celebrated nearly a year of campaigning for this seat. So many connections and friends were made from Roaring Fork to Red Cliff to Gypsum, Avon, Edwards, Vail, Eagle, Minturn, and everywhere in between.

“Our campaign is about building coalitions, and I’m extremely grateful to everyone who voted, donated, knocked doors, made phone calls, endorsed, wrote a letter, folded envelopes, and spread the word about a campaign built on trust and partnerships. Thank you, and I look forward to the general election and the next stage of this campaign!”

Eagle County so far has counted 7,213 ballots out of a total of 33,335 registered voters, for a voter turnout rates of just 21.64% (statewide the rate was just over 25%). Eagle County Clerk and Recorder Regina O’Brien said in an email: “Meager turnout for Eagle County and the state … [but] November will be a 180 [turnaround] from this election.”

The Nov. 5 general election will include a presidential race and control of both chambers of Congress.

In Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes part of Eagle County, Democrat Adam Frisch, who lost to Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert by just 546 votes in 2022, did not have a primary opponent. On the Republican side, attorney and former Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce chief Jeff Hurd was leading former state representative Ron Hanks by a margin of 41.68% to 28.34% in the GOP primary.

“First, I would like to thank all the candidates who ran in CD3’s Republican primary and personally congratulate Jeff Hurd,” Frisch said in an email statement. “My hat always goes off to anyone who is willing to stand up to represent their country and community. 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. I’ll be an independent voice of reason for rural Colorado to cut inflation, secure the border and protect a woman’s freedom to make her own health care decisions.”

 The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) issued the following statement in the CD3 primary race, which could prove crucial in terms of U.S. House control in November.

“Congratulations to Jeff Hurd on his primary election victory,” NRCC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar wrote in an email. “Through his experience as a small business owner and attorney, Jeff has shown his dedication to Colorado’s critical service providers in the state. Adam Frisch wasted $462,000 meddling in the Republican primary, tipping his hand that he could not win unless he played dirty. That’s because Coloradans can’t stand Frisch’s agenda of higher costs, the war on energy, and a border crisis bringing drugs and crime to their backyard. We agree with Adam Frisch – Jeff Hurd is the right candidate to keep this seat red and we are confident Colorado will send him to Congress.”

Republicans blasted Democrat-leaning PACs and Frisch for spending money backing Hanks — a MAGA candidate viewed as far less electable in CD3 than the moderate Hurd. However, the Colorado Republican Party endorsed Hanks and the far-right Boebert, both of whom are diehard supporters of convicted felon Donald Trump.

Boebert, who still represents CD3 but moved to Windsor on Colorado’s Eastern Plains to have a better chance of staying in Congress, easily won the GOP primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, which leans much more Republican than CD3.

Colorado Republican Party Chair Dave Williams, who was seeking election to Congress in the state’s 5th Congressional District around Colorado Springs, lost his primary race to conservative consultant, radio and podcast host Jeff Crank. Williams has been a source of never-ending controversy at the helm of the state Republican Party.

Crank and Boebert will be the favorites in their respective races this November. The Frisch-Hurd race should be much closer.

Boebert will face Trisha Calvarese, a former communications staffer for the AFL-CIO and the National Science Foundation, who won the CD4 Democratic primary Tuesday.

In the contested Colorado State Board of Education seat for this district, Kathy Gebhardt defeated Marisol Rodriguez in the Democratic primary, seen as a defeat for charter school advocates who funneled money into the race via so-called dark-money groups.

“We extend our sincerest congratulations to Kathy Gebhardt (State Board of Education CD2), who won her race despite unprecedented amounts of corporate-backed, dark money that flooded the playing field,” the Colorado Education Association wrote in an email statement.

“Gebhardt’s triumph is a testament to the power of people-powered organizing and the strength of a campaign built on genuine connections with constituents. It highlights the resilience and determination of voters to uphold democratic principles and support candidates who truly represent their interests and values.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a statement from Boyd declaring victory in Tuesday’s primary.

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David O. Williams

Managing Editor at RealVail
David O. Williams is the editor and co-founder of RealVail.com and has had his awarding-winning work (see About Us) published in more than 75 newspapers and magazines around the world, including 5280 Magazine, American Way Magazine (American Airlines), the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), the Anchorage Daily Press (Alaska), Aspen Daily News, Aspen Journalism, the Aspen Times, Beaver Creek Magazine, the Boulder Daily Camera, the Casper Star Tribune (Wyoming), the Chicago Tribune, Colorado Central Magazine, the Colorado Independent (formerly Colorado Confidential), Colorado Newsline, Colorado Politics (formerly the Colorado Statesman), Colorado Public News, the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Colorado Springs Independent, the Colorado Statesman (now Colorado Politics), the Colorado Times Recorder, the Cortez Journal, the Craig Daily Press, the Curry Coastal Pilot (Oregon), the Daily Trail (Vail), the Del Norte Triplicate (California), the Denver Daily News, the Denver Gazette, the Denver Post, the Durango Herald, the Eagle Valley Enterprise, the Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), ESPN.com, Explore Big Sky (Mont.), the Fort Morgan Times (Colorado), the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the Greeley Tribune, the Huffington Post, the King County Journal (Seattle, Washington), the Kingman Daily Miner (Arizona), KUNC.org (northern Colorado), LA Weekly, the Las Vegas Sun, the Leadville Herald-Democrat, the London Daily Mirror, the Moab Times Independent (Utah), the Montgomery Journal (Maryland), the Montrose Daily Press, The New York Times, the Parent’s Handbook, Peaks Magazine (now Epic Life), People Magazine, Powder Magazine, the Pueblo Chieftain, PT Magazine, the Rio Blanco Herald Times (Colorado), Rocky Mountain Golf Magazine, the Rocky Mountain News, RouteFifty.com (formerly Government Executive State and Local), the Salt Lake Tribune, SKI Magazine, Ski Area Management, SKIING Magazine, the Sky-Hi News, the Steamboat Pilot & Today, the Sterling Journal Advocate (Colorado), the Summit Daily News, United Hemispheres (United Airlines), Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine, Vail en Español, Vail Health Magazine, Vail Valley Magazine, the Vail Daily, the Vail Trail, Westword (Denver), Writers on the Range and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Williams is also the founder, publisher and editor of RealVail.com and RockyMountainPost.com.