Rep. Lauren Boebert was re-elected in 2022 by the narrowest margin of any candidate in the cycle, just 546 votes, and now she’s running again against the same Democratic opponent, Adam Frisch. Frisch has raised a huge amount of money, largely from donors eager to turn Boebert out of office.
According to the Denver Post, Frisch outrased Boebert by a factor of four to one in the third quarter of 2023. And beyond that, one of Boebert’s Republican challengers, Jeff Hurd, also raised a respectable amount of money in his effort to unseat the Congresswoman.
Campaign Dollars for Lauren Boebert
Frisch, per campaign finance reports cited by the newspaper, raised $3.4 million in the third quarter, which was more than some swing-state Senate campaigns have raised. Boebert, in the same time period, raised about $854,000. Hurd raised $412,000, although he only entered the race about halfway through the quarter.
“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 to the media after this fundraising haul was announced in early October.
“As someone who is not a politician and who entered the race halfway through the quarter, I am proud to have raised $412,000,” Hurd, a Colorado lawyer, said in a statement to the Denver Post.
The race has been called a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report, as it is a Republican-leaning district but Frisch has consistently outraised Boebert.
In addition to her infamous escapades in a Denver theater earlier this fall, Boebert has of late made news for her role in the House speakership chaos. The Congresswoman was part of the “never Kevin” caucus back in January, which opposed the speakership candidacy of Kevin McCarthy. Boebert remained mostly part of the opposition to McCarthy throughout his brief speakership, although she did not ultimately vote to remove him.
Campaign Polling
There has only been one poll of the race so far, albeit one commissioned by Frisch’s campaign, and it shows the Democrat ahead. Boebert’s campaign, for its part, sent fundraising emails citing the poll, in order to create the impression Boebert, the Republican candidate, is behind and needs to raise more money.
“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 that was sent in August, the Aspen Daily News reported. “If the Election were held today … Lauren would lose,” the campaign messaging said.
It was also reported that Boebert’s campaign had spent money at an Aspen bar owned by the man from her theater adventure. The $317.48 tab was described as “catering,” and that generally small amount is not likely any type of illegal campaign finance violation. However, it may be embarrassing for Boebert for her campaign to have spent money at an establishment that has been known to host drag events.
President Biden, earlier this week, had announced plans to visit Boebert’s district, in order to tout the administration’s infrastructure spending, and the press release specifically mentioned that Boebert had voted against that spending. However, Biden’s trip to Colorado was canceled due to the hostilities in Israel and Gaza, and ahead of his visit to the region on Wednesday.
Last week, meanwhile, Boebert got some support from an unlikely corner: “The View.” The hosts of that show expressed sympathy for Boebert over her recent divorce.
“I was with my ex for 15 years, and I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but, I related to Lauren Boebert here. Somebody please bring me two aspirin, I’m going to lay down,” Ana Navarro, the show’s co-host, said on the show. “I think, once it’s finally over and signed with, you have that sense of closure, but you also have other emotions. It’s bittersweet, there’s nostalgia, there’s 15, 17 years of lived experiences, there’s children, there’s so much that you had together, and I think you do have these feelings. Once the legal aspect is over, those things kind of come out.”
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 X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
