Radical Conservative Rep. Lauren Boebert, a former Aspen city councilman, is facing a tougher-than-expected midterm election race against Democratic challenger Adam Frisch.
The race was too early to call Wednesday morning, but the 35-year-old Republican appears in danger of losing his seat in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. Frisch was ahead by less than 3,500 votes in 90 percent of the results Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. Boibert entered the race in a strong position after redistricting a district that covers the Western Slope, southwest corner of the state, and eastern Pueblo, Otero, and Las Animas counties, an area that favors the GOP by 9-points. advantage
Speaking to supporters Tuesday night at a restaurant-bar in Grand Junction, Boebert said she was still waiting to count “same-day voting ballots,” which skew Republican, and prayed to her supporters, according to CPR. News.
As the results came in on Tuesday night, some on social media began mocking Boebert, circulating two side-by-side photos from his election night party. One, from earlier in the night, showed Boebert and her husband smiling and raising their hats. The second shows Boibert and his supporters bowing their heads, looking dejected.
The fierce Trump loyalist has emerged as one of the most high-profile Republican newcomers in Congress and is known for his fiery right-wing rhetoric. A regular on conservative cable news shows and podcasts, Boibert is one of the most vocal members of the House Freedom Caucus, where she serves as communications chair. She regularly clashes with Democrats, labeling one group the “jihad squad” and is one of 147 Republican members of Congress who objected to certifying the results of the 2020 election. She also interrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address earlier. This year he spoke about veterans and his older son, Beau, a former National Guardsman who died of brain cancer in 2015. Boebert was heard shouting “13 of them” in reference to the service members killed in the final days. America pulled out of Afghanistan.
As results are still coming in, many Republican strategists said they were surprised by how competitive the race between Boibert and Frisch was, especially since the seat was considered safe for Republicans.
“The Freedom Caucus now has to analyze their role and understand what happened with Boibert in Colorado. Clearly, voters don’t want that kind of activity, necessarily across the board,” said Saul Anujis, a Republican strategist and former chairman of the Michigan GOP.
“Maybe we need to be a little more aware of the fact that in some cases you need to run moderate and in other cases you need to run conservative, and we need to understand the makeup of that,” he said.