Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout ended her bid Wednesday to be the next Representative for the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
She said it was because the incumbent, Republican Lauren Boebert, decided to run in a different district.
"When I entered this race, my objective was to continue my service to the hardworking people of western and southern Colorado and give them a serious homegrown candidate to represent them, rather than the continuous embarrassment we have experienced for the past three years,” Stout said in a statement. “I got in this to remove Boebert from office, and while this wasn’t the way I expected to do that, she is no longer the third Congressional District’s problem."
The Western Slope native jumped into the race last July. She was first elected to the Grand Junction City Council in 2019 and subsequently selected by her colleagues to serve as mayor. She said she will continue to serve her community in that role, as well as through the non-profit organizations she works with and as a Spanish interpreter.
Stout faced an uphill battle for the Democratic nomination. Adam Frisch, who nearly defeated Boebert in 2022, had more campaign cash and name recognition.
In the most recent filing, Stout raised over $60,000 and had about $32,000 cash on hand. Frisch raised over $2.9 million and had $5.1 million cash on hand.
Her decision to withdraw from the race clears the way for Frisch to nab the Democratic nomination.
Frisch praised Stout for her “dedication and service to the people of Grand Junction.”
“She has demonstrated a remarkable ability to bring people together to accomplish important goals for her community,” he said.
Earlier in the week, the House Democrats’ campaign arm endorsed Frisch as part of its Red to Blue effort that helps top-tier candidates in competitive races. Still, Frisch said he’s not focused on Team Red or Team Blue, but “on Team CD3.”
“Our campaign remains committed to running a race focused on the critical issues that matter most to the people of this district,” he said.
Several candidates remain in the contest to become the Republican nominee in a district that leans red. They include Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney who has received several endorsements and raised over $262,000 in the most recent fundraising quarter, to bring his total cash on hand to $471,000. Russ Andrews of Carbondale has raised over $31,000 and has $238,000 cash on hand.
Other candidates include former state Rep. Ron Hanks and state Board of Education member Stephen Varela. Both jumped into the primary after Boebert announced she would abandon reelection in her current seat and instead run for the 4th Congressional District seat, on the other side of the state.
