DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Bobert survived last year's U.S. House race by winning the Republican primary. A scam A video of her at a Denver theater and Allegations of carpet-bagging What would have happened after the escape? A tough re-election bid in her current district.
Bobert made a national hard-line conservative star through his take-no-prisoners style of politics in the House. That influence may have made it easier for her to overcome last year's scandals, which included a video of her vaping and disrupting the production of the « Beetlejuice » musical.
He beat a group of more traditional, domestic primary candidates who had far less name recognition and generally less combative political styles: former state Sen. Jerry Sonenberg; current state representatives Mike Lynch and Richard Holdorff; and parental rights advocate Deborah Flora.
Boebert is also expected to win the November general election in a district that spans the sprawling ranches, ghost towns and conservative enclaves of the Denver metro area that make up much of the plains of eastern Colorado. Its voters overwhelmingly supported former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
He said he switched districts to ensure another Republican would win the seat he almost lost in 2022, and blamed outside groups for targeting him. But he's already become a fundraising magnet for that other district's Democratic candidate, who in recent years has drawn millions to help flip a Republican seat.
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Bobert entered his election night rally earlier in the evening wearing a pair of reflective gold sneakers sold by Trump and a white « Make America Great Again » hat emblazoned with his signature across the bill.
While the theater incident and the district jump upset some Republicans, Gilbert Kentzier, 68, asked, “Who is right?” He stopped them by saying.
Kendzier said he voted for Bobert because he shook things up. « It's very constant. The same promises, nothing happens, » he said. « We need to get rid of old sores. »
The seat opened after former Republican Rep. Ken Buck has resigned from Congress. A Special election On Tuesday, Republican Greg Lopez, the former mayor of Parker City, defeated Democratic and third-party candidates to fill Buck's remaining months.
Buck cited the divisiveness of today's politics and his party's devotion to Trump in explaining his decision to resign. That division is a factor in the race and is also on display in another Republican primary in Colorado Springs, about an hour's drive south of Denver.
In the 5th District, Republican Dave Williams faced condemnation from his own ranks and calls for him to resign as GOP chairman.
The final straw for some Republicans was a recent email calling people celebrating Gay Pride month « godless groomers. » The state party's account on social platform X also tweeted, « Burn all #PrideFlags this June. »
Williams' opponent in the primary, Jeff Cronk, is a conservative commentator who shares a similar political platform but breaks down in style and mindset. Both are running to fill Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn's seat Did not seek re-election.
Williams is a die-hard Trump acolyte who parrots the former president's lies about the 2020 election and attacks fellow Republicans who don't align. Crank is modeled on an older, more pragmatic GOP tradition.
Like the 4th District, the winner of the Republican-leaning 5th District will be favored in the general election.
Another GOP House race closely watched nationally was the 8th District, which was newly drawn after being redrawn in 2021 and with voters tightly contested between the two major parties.
Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans, a former police officer, defeated former state Rep. Janak Joshi, a retired physician, in the race to challenge Democratic incumbent Yadira Caravio. Caravaio won the 8th District, which stretches north of Denver, by less than 2,000 votes in 2022.
The winner of the primary will benefit from the backing of the National Republican Campaign Committee, which aims to protect the party's slim majority.
In the West, amid the Rocky Mountains and high desert mesas, a half-dozen Republicans hoped to unseat Bobert in the 3rd District.
Among the contenders are attorney Jeff Hurd and former Republican Rep. Ron Hanks, whose distinctions follow the definitions of Cranks and Williams, respectively. Other candidates include Stephen Varela, a former Democrat who switched parties, businessman Lou Webb and financial adviser Russ Andrews.
The winner will take on the name recognition from that close race, losing to Bobert by 546 votes in 2022 against businessman and Democratic candidate Adam Frisch. In a conservative district. Frisch has raised at least $13 million for his 2024 campaign.
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Rep. This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Caravio's first name to Yadira instead of Yadiro.
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Jesse Betain is a corps member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that puts journalists in local newsrooms to report on hidden issues.
