COLORADO — In a Facebook video Wednesday night, Rep. Lauren Boebert announced that she will be running for the 4th Congressional District in the 2024 election cycle.
The seat was formerly held by Republican Ken Buck, who announced that he would not seek reelection last month. Boebert will join six other Republicans for the 4th Congressional District seat. Below is a list of the those Republicans who are running:
- Jerry Sonnenberg
- Mariel Bailey
- Richard Holtorf
- Deborah Flora
- Trent Leisy
- Justin Schreiber
Members of the House do not have to reside in the districts they represent. They only need to live in the state.
The 4th Congressional District in Colorado covers Douglas County, parts of Larimer and Weld counties, as well as the eastern plains.
"It's the right move for me personally, and the right decision for those who support our conservative moment," said Rep. Boebert in the announcement video.
Last year, Boebert won reelection in the 3rd Congressional District over challenger Adam Frisch by 546 votes.
"She was going to lose, so she's just trying to salvage her political career at this point," said Director of the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee, Josh Dunn.
Dunn, a former Political Science professor at UCCS, has been following Colorado Politics closely since 2005. He says Boebert's 2022 win against Adam Frisch with 546 votes is a much smaller margin than her campaign might hope for in a Republican-leaning district.
"You look at the 2022 race, and she barely won in that, and you go into 2024 and the environment is going to be even more inhospitable for her," said Dunn.
WATCH: BOEBERT CLAIMS VICTORY IN U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 3
Adam Frisch's campaign reacted to the change, saying:
"Boebert is running scared from CD-3 because she knows she can’t match our campaign’s ability to connect with voters and the hard work we have put in to provide them with a common sense voice in Congress, including driving over 45,000 miles and holding hundreds of public meetings in every corner of this great district. Even before the Beetlejuice debacle that embarrassed her constituents, our campaign was polling ahead of Boebert because voters saw that we were showing up in their communities and appreciated the hard work, authenticity, sincerity, and independence that this campaign embodies.
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 fighting for these priorities in Congress in 2024."
Russ Andrews, a Republican candidate running for Congress in District 3, wishes her: “A successful run in the 4th Congressional district. It is an open seat that we need to win for Coloradans, and to keep our majority in the House”.
Dunn says her exit will most likely make the Frisch campaign nervous if Republicans can nominate a candidate without as much scrutiny as Boebert faces.
"Most races we know now how they're going to wind up because of the way the districts have been drawn. That one's competitive enough we might not know the outcome until election night," he continued.
The Pueblo County Democratic Party sent News5 this statement about Boebert's departure, once again voicing support for Frisch:
"It is totally unsurprising that like a typical bully, Boebert is running away from a fair fight as Frisch continues to build a massive coalition of support across CD3. Her latest stunt is only more evidence of what Pueblo already knows -- She's a coward and a con artist who wants to keep collecting that sweet congressional salary and calling DC home; she knew Pueblo was gonna fire her. And while I might not agree with the average CD4 voter, I am totally confident they will see through this carpet-bagging grift".
The Pueblo County Republican Party wished Boebert well as she moves to the 4th District, saying:
"We are sorry to see Lauren leave CD3. We will continue to wish her the best moving forward. Congresswoman Boebert has represented our district well.
In this important election year, the Republican Party of Pueblo will encourage conservative candidates in their primary campaigns and will continue to seek the best representation at all levels of government.
We look forward to giving our full support to the Republican candidate running for the CD3 seat".
Boebert can still use the money she's fundraised for her campaign in the 4th Congressional District.
To view the video announcement from Boebert, click here.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
