Republican US Rep. Lauren Boebert wins after switching districts in Colorado

WINDSOR, Colo. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert won a House seat Tuesday in a Colorado district where she moved midway through her term to avoid what would have been a tough reelection bid in her old district.

Boebert, a rabble-rouser who’s helped define an ultra-conservative flank of the U.S. House, took a gamble in moving races, and it paid off. Boebert beat Trisha Calvarese, the former director of speech writing and publications at the AFL-CIO, a federation of labor unions, who called herself an “old-school labor Democrat.”

Boebert had held the 3rd Congressional District seat in the Rocky Mountains since 2020. She left for the more conservative 4th Congressional District on the Great Plains after a near loss two years ago, followed by surveillance video emerged of her vaping and groping a date at a Denver theater. Boebert initially explained her move by saying, “There is a need for my voice in Congress,” and later focused on wanting a fresh start for her family after a messy divorce.

In doing so, she escaped what would have been a tough rematch against a Democrat who nearly unseated her in 2022. Adam Frisch lost that election to Boebert by just 546 votes, campaigning against what he dubbed her “angertainment.” Frisch remained in a tight race against Republican Jeff Hurd that was too early to call early Wednesday.

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During the Republican primary in the 4th District, Boebert avoided a surprise political threat with some behind-the-scenes jostling and fended off accusations of carpetbagging from her opponent and glancing references to her embarrassing moment at the Denver theater.

Eventually with six candidates left, Boebert’s well-known political brand and endorsement from presidential candidate Donald Trump helped pull her to victory in the primary, and now the general election.

Boebert will be filling Republican Rep. Ken Buck’s old seat. When Buck resigned, the conservative cited a flank of the Republican Party’s hardheaded politics and unwavering devotion to Trump — traits that made Boebert a name brand.

Boebert has said that her intractable politics — stonewalling the January 2023 vote to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker for a series of concessions, for example — are promises kept on the campaign trail.

“The swamp, they thought I would fail, but you all welcomed me to Winsor, Colorado,” Boebert told the crowd in her victory speech in the northern Colorado city of Windsor, referring to her decision to change races, to a raucous crowd, ending with a chant of “Fight, fight, fight!”

After a fiery speech woven with firearm references, a Boebert staple, the congresswoman struck a conciliatory note. “And to all of those who did not support me, who did not vote for me, I’m extending an olive branch. Let me prove to you exactly what I can do for you,” she said. “I’ll see you in the future.”

In a statement, Calvarese said she called the congresswoman to concede the race. “I told her I had no doubt we could count on her to do her part to keep our democracy intact,” Calvarese said. “Now, she bears a duty. Lauren Boebert must certify the legitimate results of the presidential election.”

Some questions remain as to whether Boebert’s withdrawal from her old district was enough for Republicans to hold onto the seat. Frisch, had already pulled in an astounding number of donations for a non-incumbent before Boebert departed, fundraising off of his near success in beating her in 2022.

The thrust of Frisch’s campaign was to “stop the circus,” dubbing Boebert’s style “angertainment.” Without the congresswoman as political foil, Frisch has fallen back onto his politically moderate platform, emphasizing that he will be a voice for rural constituents and take a bipartisan approach to policy.

Frisch, a former Aspen councilman and currency trader, still has one of the largest House campaign chests in the country. It far overshadows GOP candidate Hurd’s coffers.

It’s unclear how much that will make a difference. The district still leans red, and Hurd, an attorney, is a more temperate conservative than his predecessor, with fewer gaffs. Hurd has said his goal is to make local headlines instead of national ones. The “R” next to his name on the ballot might be all that’s needed.

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Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.