DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Lauren Bobert survived last year’s U.S. House race, winning Tuesday’s 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’s landslide victory over four candidates in his new district demonstrated his political cachet among Republicans and positioned him for an easy victory in the November general election. It’s a victory for the far-right wing of the House GOP, a group that takes no prisoners, makes no concessions and continues to attack.
Taking the stage at his election night victory party, Bobert wore a pair of gold sneakers sold by former President Donald Trump and a white “Make America Great Again” hat emblazoned with his signature across the bill.
“America will rise again, and I’m so glad you’re all here to be a part of it with me,” Bobert said to applause.
Bobert responded to questions about the transition to the 4th District by saying, “Although the crops are slightly different in CD4, the values are not.”
He vowed to fight for policies, including closing the southern border, and said he wanted to continue his protest style.
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“A lot of people criticize my approach, but I learned very early in Washington, D.C., that nothing happens without strength,” Bobert said.
In two other Republican contests, attorney Jeff Hurd won the primary for the 3rd District seat currently held by Bobert, and political consultant and talk radio host Jeff Cronk defeated Colorado GOP Chairman Dave Williams in the 5th District.
Bobert has built a national hard-line conservative stardom that has eased his scandals over the past year, including a video of him vaping and disrupting a production of the musical “Beetlejuice.”
While the theater incident and the district jump upset some Republicans, Gilbert Kentzier asked, “Who’s right?” He cut them off saying that.
Kentzier 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.”
On Tuesday, he defeated a group of more traditional, domestic primary candidates who had far less name recognition and generally less combative political styles: former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg; current state representatives Mike Lynch and Richard Holdorf; and parental rights advocate Deborah Flora.
Sonnenberg congratulated Boebert and pledged his support, saying, “I look forward to winning this seat in November and then being a resource for him on rural issues in this district.”
The 4th District, made up of vast tracts of farms, ghost towns and conservative enclaves in the Denver metro area that make up much of the plains of eastern Colorado, went heavily for Trump in the 2020 election.
The seat opened after former Republican Rep. Ken Buck resigned, citing the divisiveness of today’s politics and his party’s devotion to Trump. A Special election On Tuesday, Republican Greg Lopez, the former mayor of Parker City, defeated a Democrat and third-party candidates to fill Buck’s remaining months.
In the 5th District, home to Colorado Springs, Cronk gave Williams the top award after facing criticism from fellow Republicans over his leadership, including using party resources to boost his own campaign.
Cronk said Tuesday night that he looks forward to being his district’s conservative voice in Congress and that Republicans must unite behind Trump, posting on the social site X: “We have a country to save from Joe Biden’s open border crisis and the Democrats’ failure. “Economic Policy.”
Williams, a former state representative, sought to realign the state GOP with the far-right wing of the national party. In recent GOP communications, he called people celebrating gay pride month “godless groomers” and urged people to burn pride flags.
Cronk is a more traditional Republican, less prone to fiery persuasion and the far-right wing of the party.
A complaint against Williams with the Federal Elections Commission alleges he used the state party’s email list to advertise his campaign for Congress and spent party money on mailings that included an attack on Crank.
Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn is running to fill the seat Did not seek re-election. Like the 4th District, the winner of the Republican-leaning 5th District will be favored in the general election.
Another nationally-watched GOP House race is the 8th District, newly released after redistricting 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.
Evans will benefit from the support of the National Republican Campaign Committee, which aims to protect the party’s slim House majority.
Further west, amid the Rocky Mountains and high desert mesas, Hurt won the GOP primary for the 3rd District, home to Boebert’s current seat.
Hurt, soft-spoken and less conservative, will face Democrat Adam Frisch, who lost to Bobert in 2022 by 546 votes. That narrow margin is often said to have split Bobert’s electorate, and is seen as favoring Hurd. In the general election in a Republican-leaning district.
However, Frisch’s victory in 2022 drew national attention and showed donors a path to flipping the seat, helping him raise more than $13 million. It’s one of the nation’s largest House campaign coffers and eclipses Hurd’s $1 million.
Nevertheless, Frisch labeled Hurd a “corporate lawyer funded by corporate PAC money.”
“My presumed adversary lacks the backbone to stand up for Washington interests,” Frisch said in a statement.
Hurt thanked voters for their support.
“A brighter future for Colorado families will be on the ballot in November’s general election,” he said at X.
In the primary, Hurd defeated former Republican Representative Ron Hanks; Stephen Varela, a former Democrat who switched parties; businessman Lou Webb; and financial advisor Russ Andrews.
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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.
