President Trump on Friday reversed himself and re-endorsed Representative Jeff Hurd, Republican of Colorado, an unusual move that came a month after he pulled his support from Mr. Hurd over a disagreement about tariffs.
Mr. Trump’s previous decision to withdraw his endorsement from Mr. Hurd and back his right-wing primary opponent, Hope Scheppelman, concerned some Colorado Republicans. They saw her as a divisive figure who could endanger the party’s chance of holding the seat in the general election if she advanced past the primary.
In a statement on social media on Friday, Mr. Trump said Ms. Scheppelman would be leaving the campaign to join his administration in a “capacity to be determined.” The president added that Mr. Hurd “should in no way, shape, or form, be impeded from winning” re-election in his conservative-leaning swing district, which covers much of the western half of Colorado.
“I will be fully supporting Jeff’s Re-Election to the House of Representatives, giving him my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Every true MAGA supporter and Republican, if they truly care about saving our Country, will do everything in their power to unify together.”
Just a month ago, Mr. Trump appeared to cast his move against Mr. Hurd as a warning to other Republicans who might resist his tariff policies. He posted in early February that any lawmakers who supported lifting the levies would “seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries.”
Mr. Hurd said Friday that he was grateful for the Mr. Trump’s support. “The President and I share the same goals: securing the border, American energy dominance, and helping working families,” he said in a statement, adding that he would continue to run “a serious campaign.”
Mr. Hurd, a first-term congressman, was one of six House Republicans who joined most Democrats in supporting a largely symbolic measure in February to rescind tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed on Canada last year. Mr. Hurd has said Mr. Trump’s tariffs harmed agricultural and steel producers in his district.
Ms. Scheppelman, a former vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, is viewed as a polarizing figure in the state. She was seen as acting in concert with Dave Williams, the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, when members voted in 2024 to oust both of them in response to posts by Mr. Williams that attacked the L.G.B.T.Q. community, and amid accusations that he had fueled divisions within the party.
Some Republican strategists in Colorado said Mr. Trump’s move on Friday appeared to suggest that the president had recognized Ms. Scheppelman’s weaknesses as a candidate. “Her campaign was always a nonstarter,” said Allen Fuller, a Republican consultant in Colorado who is not working on the campaign but supports Mr. Hurd. Mr. Fuller added that Ms. Scheppelman had taken the state’s Republican primary in a “pro-chaos direction.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alex Kelloff, a businessman who is running in the Democratic primary in the district, said in an interview last month that he preferred to face Ms. Scheppelman because Mr. Hurd had far more resources than she did. Mr. Kelloff said she “would struggle to win in the general.”
Still, he said he was encouraged by Mr. Trump’s decision on Friday. “Clearly Trump must believe there’s a real risk that we’re going to flip this seat,” he said.
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