The Fall of Lauren Boebert Has Begun
Lauren Boebert Switched Congressional Districts to Remain in Congress. Can She Survive Politically? - In late December, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado announced that she will switch congressional districts as she seeks reelection this year after barely winning her seat in 2022. Boebert, who rose to fame as a staunch advocate for gun owner rights, was first elected to Congress in 2020.
She is now running in Colorado's 4th Congressional District rather than the 3rd Congressional District, which she currently represents. The 4th Congressional District is presently held by Rep. Ken Buck, a Republican who is retiring at the end of his current term.
"I cannot put into words how grateful I am for everyone who has steadfastly stood alongside me over the past year and beyond. I am going to do everything in my power to represent the 3rd District well for the remainder of this term as I work to earn the trust of grassroots conservative voters in the 4th District to represent them in 2025," she stated in a post on social media.
Boebert narrowly defeated Adam Frisch, a former Independent who ran as a moderate Democrat, by just 546 votes.
"This just proves Lauren Boebert was never committed to the communities of CO03. She is only in politics for herself," Frisch said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter after Boebert announced the district change.
Lauren Boebert: Change of Districts
The close race in 2022 was seen as a wake-up call for both the congresswoman and the Republican Party, and a 2024 rematch wasn't even guaranteed. Several Republican challengers had stepped up to challenge her for the nomination.
In September she also upset many of her district's hardline conservative and Christian constituents after she and a date were thrown out of a Denver theater during a performance of Beetlejuice. She was accused of vaping, groping her date, and other bad behavior.
Seeing the writing on the wall, Boebert opted to change districts as allowed by Colorado law. However, that move didn't receive strong support from the Colorado Republican Party.
"From a party perspective, we certainly don't think it was the best move," state party chair Dave Williamson told The Hill in December. "We felt that she was best suited for Congressional District Three and that she was in the best position to win reelection and retain that for Republicans."
Family Drama for Boebert
Lauren Boebert blamed the theater incident on her messy divorce from Jayson Boebert, whom the 37-year-old congresswoman met when she was 16. She has claimed he can be violent and filed a restraining order against him last.
However, Jayson Boebert has said the decision to swap districts has been hard on the family and maintained it led to the argument on January 6 of this year, where police said he was uncooperative and had to be removed from the business. A second incident allegedly occurred three days later.
Jayson Boebert was charged in those incidents with assault, disorderly conduct, third-degree criminal trespass, and obstructing a peace officer. The restraining order, which was approved by a Garfield County judge this week, says Jayson Boebert may have no contact with his former wife and their three minor children.
For his part, Jayson Boebert has said the allegations are "cruel and unfair" and were designed to justify her controversial move to the new district.
"I have been hurt by the person closest to me, belittled and made to feel unimportant," he said of his now-estranged wife, the Huffington Post reported. "I have been crucified by the media without the opportunity to rectify any accusations. I have been financially destroyed many times and I still carry a smile on my face and keep going because I still believe it gets better."
Such family drama is unlikely to endear her to voters, even in a new district. There is already a crowded field of Republicans running to replace the outgoing Buck, and Boebert currently lives hundreds of miles from the 4th Congressional District. She said she has plans to move there, but critics are advising she wait until after the primary to bother packing. She may not need to do so.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.