Rep. Lauren Boebert, back in the summer of 2022, stated that she was “tired of this separation of church and state junk,” before adding that “the church is supposed to direct the government.” The comment came last year at a Colorado Christian center, shortly before her primary election that year.
Boebert has occasionally caught flack for that comment, and for many other things, over the course of the last year.
And this week, the “junk” comment came up in a Congressional proceeding.
According to Newsweek, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs, called out Boebert for that comment.
The exchange came during committee testimony by Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. During the testimony, Tyler described Christian Nationalism as “the single greatest threat to religious liberty in the United States today.”
Frost then stated that “this threat to democracy has made its way to Congress,” referencing Boebert’s statement about the separation of church and state being “junk.”
Boebert, at 36, is one of the youngest members of Congress, although Frost, who is 25, is the youngest elected representative in Washington currently.
The exchange comes as Boebert is facing a tough re-election fight in 2024. Boebert in 2022 lost the closest re-election in the entire cycle and is set to face the same opponent, Democrat Adam Frisch, against in 2024, although both candidates have primary opponents.
Frisch, in the fourth quarter, significantly out-raised Boebert, pulling in $3.4 million, compared to just $854,000. One of Boebert’s primary challengers, attorney Jeff Hurd, also pulled in a respectable haul, raising $412,000.
“I am deeply humbled by the over 100,000 individual donations that were made to our campaign this quarter to defeat Lauren Boebert,” Frisch said in a statement after the fundraising announcement.
The only poll taken of the race so far shows Frisch ahead of Boebert, and while it was commissioned by Frisch’s campaign, Boebert has still seen it fit to raise funds off of that poll.
“If we don’t turn things around quickly, we could lose this seat to the Democrats. I can’t believe I’m saying those words, but I need you to understand how dire this situation is. [Frisch’s] latest internal polls have him beating us by two points,” Boebert said in the campaign email from August, the Aspen Daily News said.
Time Magazine this week wrote about the “tough primary” that Boebert is facing, following the “Beetlejuice” scandal. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, who was Colorado’s most recent Republican governor, has endorsed Hurd over Boebert.
Boebert’s campaign manager defended her in a quote in the Time story.
“From leading the fight to impeach Joe Biden to the seven bills on local 3rd District issues like water and rural economic development she’s gotten passed through at least a House committee, voters know Rep. Boebert is producing results,” the spokesperson said. “Our campaign is continuing to focus on substantive 3rd District issues and her track record of legislative wins, which is why Coloradans will re-elect her in 2024.”
This week, Boebert cast her vote for the new Republican House Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson, joining the rest of the House Republican delegation in doing so.
“I believe Mike will finally unite our party by securing our borders, passing 12 individual appropriations bills, and holding the Biden Administration accountable,” Boebert said in a social media post this week.
Boebert had been a part of the group, back in January, that opposed Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the speakership, while also opposing such moves as McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal with the Biden Administration. However, Boebert did not vote for the motion to vacate, when McCarthy was removed from office earlier this month.
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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.
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