Republican U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert of Silt will not be running for re-election in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. Instead, she’ll be running in the fourth, a more staunchly Republican district.
Boebert held her seat in the district by just 546 votes last year, after facing a challenge from former Aspen city councilor Democrat Adam Frisch.
The 4th Congressional District is represented by Ken Buck, who’s held the seat since 2015. Buck has announced he won’t seek re-election for the seat.
In a social media video announcing her change in candidacy, Boebert expressed confidence that the third district would remain Republican, and took a swipe at Aspen in the process.
“And Aspen donors, and George Soros, and Hollywood actors that are trying to buy this seat, well, they can go pound sand,” she said. “We aren’t going to give them the opportunity to steal the third.”
Frisch, who is running for the seat again, has outraised Boebert by more than $2 million.
“We have one of the greatest name ID, fundraising, and district-wide relationship advantages for any challenger in the country,” Frisch said in a written statement. “From Day 1 of this race, I have been squarely focused on defending rural Colorado’s way of life, and offering common sense solutions to the problems facing the families of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. My focus will remain the same, and I look forward to bringing these issues with me to Congress in 2024.”
Boebert lives in Silt, which is in the 3rd Congressional District, but members of Congress don’t have to live in the district they represent, only the state.
In her announcement, however, Boebert said she would move to the fourth district in 2024.
She also said she’d dealt with a difficult year in her personal life, including a divorce and an incident where she was kicked out of a Denver theater for rude behavior during a musical. Boebert said outside groups were using these issues to derail her race.
“I will not allow dark money that is directed at destroying me personally to steal this seat,” she said. “It’s not fair to the third district and the conservatives there who have fought so hard for our victories, of which I’m incredibly grateful.”
Republicans running for the 3rd Congressional District include Russ Andrews, an engineer from Carbondale, and Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd.
Along with Frisch, Grand Junction mayor Anna Stout is running in the Democratic primary.
