Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert's attempt to secure her position in Congress by switching districts might face challenges, especially considering her fifth-place ranking in a recent straw poll. The Republican congresswoman revealed her decision to relocate to Colorado's 4th District back in December.
Her decision to enter the crowded primary race in the more conservative district was widely perceived as a strategic move to sidestep potential challenges in the more competitive 3rd District. In 2022, she won the 3rd District by a narrow margin of just 546 votes. Boebert was already confronting a primary challenge in that district and was anticipated to face a rematch against Democrat Adam Frisch, who had outpaced her in fundraising.
Boebert acknowledged during a debate with eight other participants in Fort Lupton on Thursday night that she was going to have to earn the support of voters in the 4th District. "I am here to earn your support, earn your vote," she said. "This is not a coronation."
A straw poll conducted during the debate, surveying 100 Republicans, signaled that she confronts a challenging path in securing the nomination against opponents. Some of her rivals have deep roots in the district, having lived there their entire lives and represented parts of it in Colorado's legislature.
According to The Denver Post, she garnered 12 votes in the poll. Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg secured the top spot with 22 votes, trailed by State Representative Mike Lynch with 20, conservative radio host Deborah Florida with 18, and State Representative Richard Holtorf with 17.
Upon announcing the move, Boebert implied that her departure from the 3rd District was aimed at assisting Republicans in retaining the seat. Additionally, she described it as a "fresh start" for herself, particularly in the aftermath of a divorce.
During the debate, Boebert was challenged for moving districts. Lynch asked her to define "carpetbagger," a term that originated that originated after the Civil War that is broadly used to refer to those who move to new places with which they have no connection for financial or political gain.
While there are months to go before the June primary, critics of Boebert have already suggested that she is "finished."
"Before I go to bed, I thought it would only be fitting to send 'thoughts & prayers' to my colleague, Lauren Boebert," Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"It's my understanding that she placed 5th in her first straw poll of the election cycle. Now how many of y'all think BoBo gonna try to convince us that polls don't matter... of course unless they are trash for Biden & great for Trump!"
"Lauren Boebert finishes 5th in a straw poll at the first GOP primary debate in her new district. She received just 10% of the vote from the Republicans who participated in the survey at the debate," the Republicans against Trump account wrote on X on Sunday. "She's finished."
Victor Chi, a Gen-Z activist and supporter of President Joe Biden, wrote: "Great news! Lauren Boebert has finished in *5th place* in a straw poll in the new 'GOP friendly' district she moved to—& this is only for the primary election, not the general. Colorado is so fed up with her. Lauren Boebert is so screwed & it makes me so happy."
Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, wrote that it was "good to see voters in Colorado's 4th congressional district firmly rejecting the insanity of Lauren Boebert. Her pro-Putin positions (among others) are totally disqualifying."
However, others were less convinced that Boebert would fail in the ling run.
"You will see the vast majority of primary voters voting for someone other than Congresswoman Boebert," Hagen Solin, a Republican strategist, told The Denver Post. "Boebert, however, is well positioned to win the plurality vote given her name recognition that extends across the 4th, unlike that of any of the other candidates."
