Come January, the new district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District will be Will Furse.
Last Friday, Furse's challenger, Andy Hughes, sent a letter to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office telling them that he was withdrawing his name as a DA candidate from the November election. He also resigned his position as assistant district attorney and will be moving overseas.
Hughes had jumped into the race as a write-in candidate following the Republican primary.
With Hughes out, Furse, the Republican nominee, will be running unopposed in November.
Furse, who currently works as a local defense attorney, defeated current DA Russell Wasley in June's primary. Wasley's term expires in January.
Hughes said the decision to resign from the DA's office was so he could take a unique prosecuting job in Kosovo, a region in southeastern Europe. He said he was fortunate to be chosen for the position.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary of State's office reported that Hughes' letter had not been received yet.
“It was an opportunity I could not pass up,” he said of his new job.
Hughes said he will be flying to Washington, D.C. at the end of the week for one week of training for his new job.
Hughes jokingly added that if he is unable or fails the training needed he would be returning to Montezuma County.
He also said the political environment and a probable change in administration were factors in his decision. He said there would be no guarantee of job security if he lost the November election.
Wasley, who was defeated in the Republican primary by 18 votes, chose Tom Farrell to replace Hughes. Farrell had served as a special prosecutor for the county a few times in the past.
Calls to Furse seeking comment were not immediately returned.
michaelm@cortezjournal.com