\u201cShe\u2019s just such an upbeat, positive person. That\u2019s what I always loved about Trump,\u201d said Kathy Bowser of Durango. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t part of the establishment, and I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boebert is a newcomer to politics, and she\u2019s known primarily for her pro-gun, Second Amendment advocacy. She keeps a gun strapped to her thigh during campaign events. She gained the national spotlight after arguing for gun rights at a campaign event for former presidential candidate Beto O\u2019Rourke. At the restaurant she owns, Shooter\u2019s Grill in Rifle, the servers openly carry firearms.<\/p>\n
She has also faced criticism for her history of minor arrests, unclear policies and for reopening her restaurant in violation of public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
In her first political race, she aimed straight for Congress and managed to kick the five-term incumbent congressman, Scott Tipton, off the ballot.<\/p>\n
Now, Boebert faces Mitsch Bush, who has served three terms as a state representative and was a Routt County commissioner, in the Nov. 3 elections. The victor will represent Congressional District 3, all of Western and Southern Colorado extending to Pueblo. Online and mail-in registration deadlines are Oct. 26. In-person registration continues until Nov. 3.<\/p>\n The two candidates have yet to debate each other. Mitsch Bush has bullet-pointed platforms on seven issue categories, ranging from health to public lands, the economy and civil rights.<\/p>\n Boebert does not have any policies outlined on her website. Her site focuses on national political values, saying she supports freedom, guns, the Constitution, energy, life, Colorado and America.<\/p>\n Voters, sporting Donald Trump hats and T-shirts or carrying American flags, gathered into the Eagle Park pavilion to hear what Boebert had to say.<\/p>\n Boebert talked about growing up on welfare, saying her mother was too afraid to fail and that\u2019s why she kept taking government aid. She recounted the empowerment she felt getting her first job at McDonald\u2019s and emphasized her Christian religious beliefs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re raising our boys to be men. To be strong leaders. And we know that that\u2019s not going to come from safe spaces or entitlement. It\u2019s going to come from faith, hard work and determination,\u201d she said, drawing cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n She said the political left wants to take away people\u2019s rights and the virus has shown how extensively the government can overreach.<\/p>\n \u201cI got into this because I saw the battle \u2026 for the heart and soul of our country. I saw that they will stop at nothing to have complete control,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The voters interviewed by The Durango Herald<\/em> were ready to vote for Boebert in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n Tim Karp, a county resident, was drawn to her because of her pro-gun stance.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I found out about her stance on abortion. That right there, and her stance on God, that pretty much wraps up everything that\u2019s important to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n They said they liked her energy, her commitment to her faith and her pro-life stance. They said she was a fighter with common sense, and they weren\u2019t worried that she didn\u2019t discuss her policy platform on issues that affect Western Colorado.<\/p>\n \u201cWe voted for her in the primary. She\u2019s a fighter, she\u2019s willing to stand up and do the tough things,\u201d said Mickey O\u2019Hare, a county resident near Ignacio. \u201cTipton never did. We\u2019ve met with Tipton a number of times while he was in office. Nothing ever came of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Several people were tired of Republicans who spent years representing Colorado, but didn\u2019t seem to get anything done. They wanted change, but they didn\u2019t want just anyone \u2013 they wanted the right person to fill the seat.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many times people can be part of an establishment, yet they don\u2019t really do anything for us. It\u2019s year after year, and you think, \u2018Well, why did I even vote for that person?\u2019\u201d Bowser said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad it wasn\u2019t Tipton. I\u2019m glad it was her because she seems like she\u2019s up for this change. She really wants to go forward,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n