Lauren Boebert could lose the way she won: Lauren Boebert came to Congress after defeating an incumbent in a Republican primary.
She could exit Congress the same way, one Colorado columnist says.
Lauren Boebert: She Could Soon Be Looking for Work
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is facing one of the toughest fights for re-election of anyone in Congress in the 2024 cycle.
The winner of the closest general election race in the country in 2022, Boebert may once again face her 2022 opponent, Adam Frisch, who more than a year before the election has significantly outraised the Republican incumbent, and also is leading slightly in the polls in the Republican-leaning Third District, albeit in a poll commissioned by Frisch’s own campaign.
But there’s a chance that the race won’t end up as Frisch vs. Boebert, as multiple candidates are running in primaries in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. And one columnist in that state says not to take it for granted that Boebert will actually win the Republican nomination.
According to Mario Nicolais of the Colorado Sun, one particular candidate should be taken seriously in his primary challenge to Boebert- and the Congresswoman could lose in a primary to a first-time candidate in much the same way Boebert’s 2020 opponent lost to her.
“Just over a week ago, Boebert drew a credible Republican primary challenger,” Nicolais writes. “Jeff Hurd jumped into the race touting ‘serious leadership for rural Colorado.’ While Boebert may hand-wave him as a nuisance, it could be just the kind of arrogant oversight that put her in office three years ago.”
Indeed, Boebert had defeated then-Rep. Scott Tipton in a Republican primary in 2020, after Tipton, according to the columnist, looked ahead to the general election and did not see the threat that he might lose to the then-upstart Boebert. That’s exactly what happened before Boebert herself beat only token Democratic opposition in that year’s general election. Boebert also easily dispatched a Republican primary challenger in 2022.
“Against that backdrop, Titpton hand-waved the bombastic restaurateur stalking around the district with a hand-cannon visibly strapped to her leg. She did not engage in substantive debates, relied on shrill sound bite attacks, and did not seem to be a serious contender,” he writes. “In June 2022, Boebert beat him by nine points.”
The columnist does not that he has known Hurd, one of Boebert’s Republican primary opponents, for many years.
“ Always interested in the political work we did, he was also determined and hard working. It is not surprising he found himself running for office,” he says. “Hurd will not engage in the same over-the-top antics that made Boebert an overnight sensation in far-right circles. That is not his style.”
Hurd is the former board chair of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, in addition to Hurd and Boebert, the GOP race in the district includes financial advisor Russ Andrews.
On the Democratic side, Frisch is opposed by Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, and candidates Debby Burnett, David Karpas, and Adam Withrow.
“It would be stunning if 2024 did not end up in an encore of the nation’s most narrowly decided congressional race,” the columnist wrote. “Furthermore, Hurd versus Frisch would likely turn into a good old fashioned policy-centered debate; not exactly the kind of fireworks and false narratives that seem to get folks fired up in this political era. But it would be better for Colorado and our country.”
Meanwhile, a “dark money” group called Rocky Mountain Values has been raising money with the purpose of turning Boeebrt out of Congress.
In a letter in late July, the group accused Boebert of wanting to gut Medicare.
“Representative Boebert, you have frittered away your responsibility to protect the healthcare and retirement security that older Coloradans have worked for, earned, and deserve,” the letter said. “On the 58th anniversary of Medicare, we call on you to do better for Colorado seniors.”
Boebert’s team ripped the letter in response, describing Rocky Mountain Values as “a far-left special-interest group.”
Author Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles over the years that focus on politics, technology, and the economy for over a decade. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
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