Democrats target Lauren Boebert's seat after close finish: "She's actually doubled down on crazy"

Democrat Adam Frisch will challenge Boebert again after a narrow loss in 2022

Published April 10, 2023 2:49PM (EDT)

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) attends a House Second Amendment Caucus press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) attends a House Second Amendment Caucus press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Democrats are targeting Rep. Lauren Boebert's, R-Colo., seat after she won her re-election by fewer than 600 votes.

Boebert, a far-right ally of former President Donald Trump, narrowly edged out Democratic challenger Adam Frisch by 546 votes in last year's midterm elections, making it the closest congressional race of the cycle even though an incumbent Republican was running in a red-leaning district.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already listed Boebert's congressional district as one of 31 target seats for next year, according to Insider.

Frisch, who has announced another congressional bid in 2024, has already raised $1.7 million in the first quarter of the year.

"One of our most effective comments that we talked about in the district was she's not focused on the job, she's focused on herself," Frisch told The Hill.

"I can't believe she had almost the most embarrassing loss in 20 years and she hasn't changed one iota," he added. "She's actually doubled down on crazy."

Boebert, who holds uber-conservative views on gun rights and abortion, pushed false claims about Trump's 2020 election loss and aligned herself firmly with the MAGA wing of the House GOP. But Boebert's ties to Trump could hurt her in 2024 in Colorado, which swung to President Joe Biden by 13 points in 2020. A recent poll found that less than 40% of Colorado voters have a favorable opinion of Trump.


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Former Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams told The Hill that Boebert has long been known for her Trumpian style.

"She took that very combative style to her everyday work in the US House of Representatives," he said. "I think it started the people in the third congressional district thinking that she wasn't paying enough attention to the district as she was paying more attention to national politics."

Boebert in a statement touted her legislative record.

"I'm working every day to be a strong legislator and to deliver results," she told The Hill. "I think I've been surprising my detractors by introducing and passing a growing list of bipartisan legislation and amendments."


By Gabriella Ferrigine

Gabriella Ferrigine is a former staff writer at Salon. Originally from the Jersey Shore, she moved to New York City in 2016 to attend Columbia University, where she received her B.A. in English and M.A. in American Studies. Formerly a staff writer at NowThis News, she has an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from NYU and was previously a news fellow at Salon.

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Adam Frisch Brief Donald Trump Elections Lauren Boebert Politics