Colorado Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert faces voters in her state’s GOP primary election on Tuesday after she fled a tough re-election race to run in a more right-leaning district, only to suffer a scandal-hit campaign and accusations of carpet-bagging.
Boebert, who first planted her MAGA flag in the House of Representatives in 2020, has amassed conservative clout with her attention-seeking antics on Capitol Hill but faced more than her fair share of public embarrassments and setbacks.
It is the GOP firebrand’s first election since the Beetlejuice scandal when she was asked to leave a performance of the musical in Denver after she loudly sang along, vaped, and got intimate with her date.
Boebert’s campaign manager exclusively told The Independent on Tuesday as primary voting entered its final hours that fewer ballots were cast than expected but that they were making a final push for the Trump-aligned congresswoman.
She is up against a number of more traditional GOP rivals in the race, including former state senator Jerry Sonnenberg, current state representatives Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf, and parental rights advocate Deborah Flora.
Key Points
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What time do polls close in Colorado?
Polls in the Colorado primaries, both Democratic and Republican, are set to close at 7pm local time (MDT).
State governor Jared Polis previously urged voters to turn out, writing in a statement: “Voting is the bedrock of democracy.
“No matter who you are voting for it is important to make your voice heard, and I encourage all Coloradans, no matter their party affiliation, to return their ballot at an official Dropbox or vote at their polling place.
“Colorado has the best election system in the country and Coloradans can be confident knowing our vote counts.”
Mike Bedigan26 June 2024 00:20
Lauren Boebert rival teases her with ad filmed in theater she was thrown out of during Beetlejuice
Colorado Republican Rep Lauren Boebert’s Democratic rival posted a hilarious new ad speaking from the lawmaker’s seat during her scandalous Beetlejuice outing last fall.
Democratic Congressional hopeful John Padora sat in a maroon movie theater chair, saying in his new ad: “I’m sitting in the very same seat Lauren Boebert got kicked out of. The same way she got kicked out of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional district.”
Read more from Kelly Rissman here:
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 23:50
Democrats predict Colorado flip to ‘total blue’
A Democratic operative in the district told The Indpendent that the GOP chaos ahead of Tuesday’s primary was “the first opportunity to flip Colorado totally blue”.
“I think that’s the that’s the reality. I mean, [Lauren Boebert] is deeply unpopular, even in this district, and the Republican Party’s kind of in national civil war,” they said. “They’re bashing each other.”
They continued: “I think that there are a certain crowd who feel like it might be easier to defeat an incumbent Democrat who’s been in one term than it would be the primary Lauren Boebert out of the seat.
“So they may make that calculation. I mean, there’s a large faction calling for the Republican state chair to step down because they know that extremism is turning voters off.”
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 23:20
Fewer ballots cast than expected in congresswoman’s race, campaign says
Lauren Boebert’s campaign manager exclusively told The Independent on Tuesday as primary voting entered its final hours that fewer ballots were cast than expected but that they were making a final push for the Trump-aligned congresswoman.
“Hard to know exactly how things look turnout wise since so many ballots are being processed and we don’t have an exact breakdown of if they are GOP or DEM ballots but it appears as though we’ll be less than 125K ballots which is a little less than we expected,” Drew Sexton said.
“Unaffiliated percent is in line with our expectations. We’ve got volunteers still making a final push of GOTV calls to get their ballots in before 7pm.
“We’ll see how results unfold tonight but no matter the final tally, we’re proud of our effort and grateful for so many voters who have offered their prayers and support for the Congresswoman.”
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 23:00
Boebert’s many scandals and controversies
Here’s an overview of the Republican’s numerous less-than-flattering encounters with the national spotlight.
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 22:50
What time do polls close in Colorado?
Polls in the Colorado primaries, both Democratic and Republican, are set to close at 7pm local time (MDT).
State governor Jared Polis previously urged voters to turn out, writing in a statement: “Voting is the bedrock of democracy.
“No matter who you are voting for it is important to make your voice heard, and I encourage all Coloradans, no matter their party affiliation, to return their ballot at an official Dropbox or vote at their polling place.
“Colorado has the best election system in the country and Coloradans can be confident knowing our vote counts.”
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 22:31
Watch: Lauren Boebert confronted over Beetlejuice incident during debate
Mike Bedigan25 June 2024 22:20
Boebert on the issues: LGBTQ rights
Boebert is a staunch opponent of transgender rights and frequently attacks the greater LGBTQ community. In at least one instance, she has accused them of seeking “supremacy” in the United States.
Her comments on drag bars after the deadly shooting at Club Q in her home state in 2022 were immediately blamed by LGBTQ groups for inciting such violence, which she denied. In some cases, she has spread false accusations about drag queens supposedly grooming children with sexual intentions.
John Bowden25 June 2024 21:50
Boebert on the issues: Climate change
Boebert, like every single GOP candidate in the 4th congressional district, rejects the scientific consensus on man-made emissions as the primary driver of rising global temperatures.
The candidates were asked about the issue at a debate in late May.
“Climate change occurs four times every year. It’s absolutely real,” Boebert said, referring to the concept of seasons. She then hedged slightly: “There’s many things we can do to manage our environment.”
John Bowden25 June 2024 21:20
Why Lauren Boebert will probably win her primary — and Jamaal Bowman will probably lose his
On the surface, Lauren Boebert and Jamaal Bowman could not be more different members of Congress. One is a white ultra-MAGA devotee of Donald Trump and a high school dropout who earned notoriety thanks to running a restaurant where the waitresses all carried firearms. The other is a Black former middle school principal who represents the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. While Bowman seems to care deeply about moving the Democratic Party’s policy significantly to the left, Boebert’s tenure in Congress seems devoid of any real substance, absent being Trump’s fan — although it’s clear she’d be happy to see her own party move even further to the right.
But they came to Washington in similar manners. Boebert beat a placeholder incumbent congressman in Colorado’s third district in 2020 and Bowman pulled off a stunner when he beat the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Eric Garcia25 June 2024 20:50