Congresswoman Lauren Boebert ranked in the middle of the nine-candidate pack currently vying for the soon-to-be-vacant seat in Colorado’s fourth congressional district.
The representatives switched to her congressional district after Congressman Ken Buck announced his plans to retire. The fourth congressional district is considered to be more solidly Republican, which could benefit the two-term congresswoman.
Boebert took part in the first debate in Fort Lupton last week, where she was accused of being a carpet bagger. Boebert did not initially live in the district but has moved to Weld County. Candidates are not required by the state to live in the districts they seek to represent.
“The crops may be different in Colorado's 4th District but the values are not, and I'm a proven fighter for the values that you all believe in,” she said, per CBS News.
The debate lasted 90 minutes.
According to the subsequent straw poll, Boebert is not the voters’ preferred candidate. Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg took first place with 22 of the 117 votes cast in the poll, followed by former House Minority Leader Mike Lynch with 20 votes, Douglas County filmmaker Deborah Flora with 18 and House Minority Whip Richard Holtorf with 17 votes.
Boebert received 12 votes, placing fifth according to Colorado Politics.
Boebert narrowly secured reelection in Congress after defeating her Democrat opponent, Adam Frisch, in the state’s third congressional district in November 2022. The race came down to roughly 564 votes.
In a video released on Facebook, the congresswoman said switching districts was the “right move” both personally and “for those who support our conservative movement.”
“This is the right move for Colorado – for us,” said Boebert. “Since the first day I ran for public office, I promised I would do whatever it takes to stop the socialists and communists from taking over our country. That means staying in the fight.”
She also said it was important to prevent “Hollywood elites and progressive money groups [from] buy[ing] the third district.”
Her plan to move districts was not embraced by state Republicans.
After she announced her decision, Holtorf said Boebert was “grossly lacking in understanding the needs of the 21 counties in Eastern Colorado” and that voters want “steady conservative leadership from their communities.”
“Seat shopping isn’t something the voters look kindly upon,” said Holtorf in a statement. “If you can’t win in your home, you can’t win here. … She knew she’d lose in her own district and I’ll show her that she’ll lose here too.”
Frisch is once again running for Congress in the third district. As of late December, he had raised three times more than Boebert. Jeff Hurd, a Republican attorney from Grand Junction, is also working to secure Boebert’s seat.
