Boebert wins GOP primary in new Colorado House district

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) has won the GOP primary in Colorado’s eastern 4th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Boebert defeated a group of challengers to prevail in the Republican contest to replace former Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), defying assumptions early in the primary cycle that her days in Congress were numbered.

The Colorado Republican, who currently represents the western 3rd Congressional District, initially ran for another term in that district, having narrowly won her second term against Democrat Adam Frisch by several hundred votes in 2022.

She decided late last year to instead run in the eastern — and safely red — 4th Congressional District to avoid another expensive and competitive House race. But Boebert’s path to winning the Republican nomination was far from certain when she decided to run in the new district.

For one, Boebert fielded attacks from new opponents who called her a carpetbagger.  

She was also dogged by unflattering headlines after she was caught vaping and causing a disturbance at a performance of the musical “Beetlejuice” in Denver last year, forcing her to publicly address and apologize for the incident in conversations with voters.  

Perhaps Boebert’s biggest concern, however, was when Buck announced he would be retiring early, triggering a special election for the seat. To make matters worse, the special election to finish his term was scheduled on the same day as the GOP primary for the full two-year term. 

Boebert opted against running in the special election, because doing so would have required her to step down from her current 3rd District seat, triggering a special election to fill the rest of her term. That would have been a precarious move given Republicans’ narrow House majority, and the fact her seat almost went to the Democrats last cycle. 

But by not running in the special election, Boebert was vulnerable to the possibility that one of her challengers could win the special election, become the incumbent and be seen as the favorite for the GOP primary for the upcoming term.

Boebert was ultimately able to defy the odds because the Republican candidate who was picked to run in the special election, former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, said he only wanted to run to complete Buck’s term and not run for the full term. That allowed Boebert to remain competitive in the regular GOP primary.

She boosted her chances further when she won the highest percentage of votes at the 4th Congressional District Assembly, allowing her to be placed first on the ballot. Her financial edge and endorsement from former President Trump also aided her.

Boebert is now expected to take on likely Democratic nominee Ike McCorkle. Trump won the district by 19 points in 2020, making Boebert the heavy favorite to win the seat in November.