Lauren Boebert, far-right Firebrand, is switching House districts in Colorado
Rep. Lauren Boebert, a far-right House Republican, announced Wednesday that she would run for a more conservative district in Colorado — in an effort to boost her chances after a strong primary challenger emerged in her district.
The move — from the Third Congressional District to the Fourth — will thrust Ms. Boebert into a crowded primary to replace Rep. Ken Buck, a conservative who is not seeking reelection. She has fervently promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald J. Trump. Mr. Buck attributed his decision not to run in part to his party’s widespread belief in these false claims — as well as to the refusal of many of his Republican colleagues to acknowledge the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro -Trump gang.
In a video posted to social mediaMs Boebert said the move was a “fresh start”, citing a “pretty difficult year for me and my family”, pointing to her divorce. “It is the right move for me personally, and it is the right decision for those who support our conservative movement,” Ms. Boebert said.
In September, as she was finalizing her divorce, she was caught on a security camera vaping and groping her date, shortly before she was ejected from a performance of the musical “Beetlejuice” for causing a disturbance .
Since then, a major challenger has emerged, with significant support among prominent former Republican officials in the state. Jeff Hurd, a 44-year-old attorney from Grand Junction, has been endorsed by former Gov. Bill Owens and former Sen. Hank Brown. The editorial staff of the Colorado Springs Gazette also supported Mr. Hurd about Mrs. Boebert this month.
Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District is significantly more conservative than the Third, and securing the Republican nomination would put Ms. Boebert in a strong position to win in a seat where Mr. Buck earned 60 percent of the vote in 2022. Mrs. Boebert narrowly won. elections that year, leaving her Democratic opponent, Adam Frisch, behind by about 500 votes.
Mr. Frisch, who is running again in the Third District, said Ms. Boebert’s withdrawal from that race changed little for his campaign.
“From Day 1 of this race, I have been completely focused on defending the way of life in rural Colorado,” he said in a statement, adding that “my focus will remain the same.”
An earlier analysis by the Cook Political Report had rated the race for Ms. Boebert’s current seat in 2024 as a toss-up. In contrast, the general election race in the Fourth Congressional District is not considered competitive.
The other Republicans running in the primary to replace Mr. Buck include two former senators, Ted Harvey and Jerry Sonnenberg; Richard Holtorf, a state representative; Trent Leisy, a Navy veteran and business owner; and Deborah Flora, a radio host.
Mr Leisy claimed on social media shortly after Ms. Boebert’s announcement that she was giving Democrats an advantage in the race for her current district by switching.
“Lauren should be a fighter and keep her district red,” Mr. Leisy said, adding that he was “running in a district where I actually live.”
Charles Homans reporting contributed.