{"id":29956,"date":"2023-12-28T21:43:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T04:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/opponents-say-little-has-changed-with-rep-lauren-boebert-out-of-district-3-race\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T01:07:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T07:07:36","slug":"opponents-say-little-has-changed-with-rep-lauren-boebert-out-of-district-3-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/opponents-say-little-has-changed-with-rep-lauren-boebert-out-of-district-3-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Opponents say little has changed with Rep. Lauren Boebert out of District 3 race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., delivers her speech Saturday in Towaoc during the Montezuma County Lincoln Day Dinner at the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel. The posters behind her represent two guns that were auctioned. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Across Colorado\u2019s 3rd Congressional District, drivers may notice roadside billboards reading: \u201cThis is Boebert Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, not anymore.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert made the explosive announcement Wednesday night that she is ditching Colorado\u2019s 3rd Congressional District, and will instead run in the 4th District this November.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the right move for me personally, and it\u2019s the right decision for those who support our conservative movement,\u201d she said in a video posted to Facebook announcing the decision. \u201cThis is the right move for Colorado \u2013 for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boebert has struggled to maintain traction in the 3rd District, where she narrowly won reelection in 2022, defeating Adam Frisch by just 546 votes. In a nonpartisan analysis<\/a> of eight recent elections, the 3rd District favors Republicans by 9 percentage points. The party is favored 27 percentage points in the 4th District.<\/p>\n

\"Colorado\u2019s
Colorado\u2019s 3rd Congressional District isn\u2019t Boebert country anymore, after her Dec. 27 announcement that she would run in District 4 instead. (Hart Van Denburg\/CPR News)<\/span>Hart Van Denburg\/CPR News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

District 3 is composed of Colorado\u2019s Western Slope and most of the state\u2019s southern edge. District 4 encompasses the eastern flank of the state, composed of the rural Eastern Plains as well as the cities of Loveland, Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock.<\/p>\n

Rep. Ken Buck announced in November that he would not seek reelection in the 4th Congressional District, citing the spread of extremism in the party by members who are \u201cclaiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing Jan. 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponization of our justice system.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the video, Boebert said the move was part of her plan to stay in the fight by \u201cnot allowing Hollywood elites and progressive money groups to buy the 3rd district, a seat that they have no business owning. I will not allow dark money that is directed at me personally to steal this seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rocky Mountain Values, an organization with a hefty financial punch that does not disclose its donors, told the Colorado Sun<\/em><\/a> it would spend $2 million on ads against Boebert.<\/p>\n

In an email to the Durango Herald<\/em> on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the organization said \u201cRocky Mountain Values is an issue based organization that holds the Congresswoman accountable for her voting record on issues that help Coloradans earn more and pay less. We plan to continue this work into the new year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of holding the GOP\u2019s majority in the House, the decision may prove to be a wise tactical step given the personal notoriety that has followed the embattled congresswoman.<\/p>\n

Russ Andrews, a financial adviser from the Roaring Fork Valley running for the Republican nomination in District 3, called it a \u201cbrilliant maneuver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Lauren understood that she simply can\u2019t beat Adam Frisch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Boebert will face at least six other Republicans in the District 4 primary, including former state senator and Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, state Rep. Richard Holtorf and conservative radio host Deborah Flora.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cWe
\u201cWe cannot lose the 3rd, and Colorado\u2019s 4th District is hungry for an unapologetic defender of freedom with a proven track record of standing strong for conservative principles,\u201d said Rep. Lauren Boebert, pictured here with her grandson Josiah Boebert at a fundraising dinner in Towaoc. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Her narrow victory in 2022 highlighted her vulnerability and she has since been haunted by a September incident<\/a> in which she was ejected from a performance of \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d in Denver and caught on security cameras groping her date.<\/p>\n

In an interview withThe Durango Herald<\/em><\/a> in October, Boebert rejected the characterization that the incident follows her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy voters \u2013 they understand that I have taken accountability,\u201d she said. \u201cI have apologized. I\u2019ve had deep conversations with many people throughout the district and at events just like this. And there\u2019s a lot of mercy and a lot of grace and people are more concerned about what\u2019s happening to their country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her campaign declined an interview request Thursday.<\/p>\n

She called the switch a \u201cfresh start\u201d after a difficult year, which included the theater incident and a public divorce. Although she does not legally have to live there, Boebert told voters she plans to move to the 4th District in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot lose the 3rd, and Colorado\u2019s 4th District is hungry for an unapologetic defender of freedom with a proven track record of standing strong for conservative principles,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to protect our majority in the House, win the Senate and the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opponents react<\/div>\n

There is a crowded field of candidates vying for Boebert\u2019s seat. Frisch is still the favorite for the Democratic nomination. He had $4.3 million in the bank as of Sept. 30.<\/p>\n

Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd and Andrews lead the pack for the Republican nomination.<\/p>\n

Andrews gleefully said the announcement was \u201chuge,\u201d while Hurd said it changes little for his campaign.<\/p>\n

\"Grand
Grand Junction lawyer Jeff Hurd, seen at the Monetzuma County Lincoln Day Dinner in October, is one of two front runners for the Republican nomination for Rep. Lauren Boebert\u2019s seat after her announcement that she would run in District 4 next year. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hurd has garnered several major endorsements from brand-name Republicans, including former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown.<\/p>\n

Andrews is hopeful that he will be the party\u2019s choice to take on Frisch in November, despite Hurd\u2019s advanced financial position. The most recent filings, which cover a period ending Sept. 30, show that Andrews held $264,000 in the bank, $261,000 of which he has lent his own campaign.<\/p>\n

Hurd had $356,000 on hand has of filing and had not lent himself any money.<\/p>\n

Andrews dismisses Hurd as the establishment candidate and see himself as the natural successor to Boebert. He says that Boebert\u2019s improbability as a viable opponent against Frisch is \u201cthe writing on the wall\u201d \u2013 but not because voters want a so-called establishment candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe district has, twice in a row now, totally rejected the establishment candidate, both in Scott Tipton in 2020 and Don Coram last year,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI think Lauren\u2019s problems are of Lauren\u2019s making.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Roaring
Roaring Fork Valley financial adviser Russ Andrews, seen at the Monetzuma County Lincoln Day Dinner in October, is one of two front runners for the Republican nomination for Rep. Lauren Boebert\u2019s seat after her announcement that she would run in District 4 next year. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

But \u201cestablishment\u201d is a label that Hurd is hesitant to wear, noting that he has never run for office before. Still, he recognizes his position as a less flashy candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a style and temperament perspective, I am an appealing choice for voters,\u201d he said. \u201c \u2026 I do believe that voters in this district will resonate with somebody that is thoughtful and articulate and focused on the needs of the district and is looking to make not national headlines, but local headlines about jobs created and opportunities made for families in small businesses and communities throughout the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurd calls himself the \u201cunifying candidate,\u201d and, like Frisch, pivots quickly back to local issues.<\/p>\n

Sounding like Hurd\u2019s Democratic counterpart, Frisch said Boebert\u2019s announcement does not change his campaign\u2019s core strategy. Despite some voters\u2019 recent turn against the congresswoman, Frisch said his campaign has always been about the district, and not his opponent.<\/p>\n

\"Former
Former Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch poses for a photo with a supporter at an event held by the La Plata County Democratic Party at Steamworks Brewing Co. in February. Frisch is likely to be the Democratic choice to take on the Republican nominee for Rep. Lauren Boebert\u2019s seat in Congress. (Reuben M. Schafir\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>Reuben M. Schafir<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe have proved to a lot of people, way before \u2018Beetlejuice,\u2019 that that combination of independent, hardworking, sincere (and) authentic was working at some level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Boebert\u2019s headline-grabbing nature brought outside attention and money to the district, and Frisch said he is excited that the interference may follow her to the eastern part of the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to having my message heard by more people with less out-of-district noise going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s primary elections will be held June 25.<\/p>\n

rschafir@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the primary election for Colorado\u2019s House seats. The presidential primary will be held March 5, while the House district primaries will be held June 25<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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