Representative Lauren Boebert is facing more challenges in her Colorado primary as she continues to lack support amid her district switch-up.
Boebert, a Colorado Republican who is one of the more staunchly pro-Trump members of the House GOP caucus, announced in December that she would be running for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District instead of the 3rd District where she has held office since 2021.
Despite her defending the move by saying it’s the “right decision for those who support our conservative movement,” it has been widely viewed as an attempt to avoid lower reelection odds in the 3rd District where she’s facing a notable primary challenge from Republican Jeff Hurd and an even more fraught general election challenge from Democrat Adam Frisch.
In addition, Boebert was recorded as the fifth most popular candidate in a straw poll taken after a debate in Fort Lupton, which is in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, on January 25. The straw poll taken of 100 Republican voters saw Boebert pick up just 12 votes, behind Logan County Commissioner and former state Senator Jerry Sonnenberg, who topped the poll with 22 votes.
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On Thursday, three former Colorado GOP senators who used to represent the 4th District, Cory Gardner, Wayne Allard, and Hank Brown endorsed Sonnenberg, signaling a split among Republicans.
“He will be a passionate and dedicated warrior for our nation and our shared conservative values,” Gardner said of Sonnenberg in a statement.
The endorsements also leave the congresswoman in need of bolstering support in the new district ahead of the June primary as Sonnenberg said the endorsements highlighted the roots he has in the district.
“Each of them knows the fourth district and understands the kind of principled leadership our community needs in Congress,” Sonnenberg said.
Meanwhile, Boebert is backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, who called the congresswoman a “relentless force for conservative governance.”
Newsweek has reached out to Boebert’s office via email for comment.
The endorsements come after the congresswoman has continued to face ire from voters.
In a report published last week from the Wall Street Journal, prospective GOP voters lambasted the congresswoman.
“I don’t appreciate, as a Christian, people saying they’re Christian to get your vote and then turning out to be a lowlife,” retired university employee Judy Scofield told the newspaper. “And now I just kind of think of her as a lowlife.”
Scofield’s comments were in reference to an incident last year in which Boebert was removed from a Denver theater during a show for allegedly engaging in disruptive behavior. Video footage of the incident later led to further accusations that she had been vaping and fondling her date. While she initially denied any wrongdoing, she later apologized for the conduct and attributed it to the stress of her recent divorce.
Echoing similar sentiments, another Republican voter Tammi Flemming told the Journal, “On Facebook she’s not been well received by Republicans. It’s the shenanigans and the drama and moving districts.”
Meanwhile, among those spoken to by the newspaper, at least one was quoted speaking kindly of Boebert, Mark Peters.
“Love Lauren Boebert…She’s stood up to Democrats on everything,” Peters said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.