Boebert proves MAGA hardliners still have plenty of fight in them with GOP primary win
Rep. Lauren Boebert's victory in Colorado's GOP primary suggests voters still have an appetite for aggressive, pro-Trump politicians, despite the drama they sometimes bring.
Boebert claimed victory over a field of five other Republican challengers Tuesday night after switching congressional districts, having only narrowly secured a win in 2022. Boebert is among a cast of pro-Trump figures on Capitol Hill who have adopted the former president's strategy of being constantly on offense and refusing to back down amid scandal.
Boebert's campaign echoed that of former President Trump, with a hard-line stance on illegal immigration and bashing President Biden's impact on the economy.
"Build the wall, deport them all," was a common refrain at her events.
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Boebert is expected to also win the November general election. Her new district sweeps across a wide expanse of ranches, ghost towns and conservative parts of the Denver metro area that make up much of the plains of eastern Colorado. Its voters overwhelmingly backed former President Trump in 2020.
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A November victory would see her replace Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who announced his retirement this year. Buck cited the divisiveness of today’s politics and his party’s devotion to Trump in explaining his decision to resign.
Like Trump, Boebert has paired her firebrand politics with a scandalous personal life. She sparked controversy and drew national headlines last September after she and a male companion were escorted out of a Denver theater's production of the "Beetlejuice" musical for causing a disturbance that involved laughing, singing, recording and vaping.
Boebert acknowledged the "unwanted attention" she received after her appearance at the venue and insisted that her words and actions that night had not been meant to be "malicious" or to "cause harm."
Her opponents in the primary attempted to use Beobert's dramatic tenure in Washington as a weapon, suggesting she was too focused on attention from the media.
"We've seen how Lauren Boebert would represent us," candidate Deborah Flora, a conservative radio host, said during a debate. "Missing key votes while chasing cameras and being in the center of D.C. drama instead of delivering real solutions for the people."
Boebert urged her voters forward at her victory event Tuesday evening, telling her supporters, "It's not over."
"President Trump needs us now more than ever to get him in the race, in the fight, in the White House Nov. 5," she said. "We have a lot of work to do, don't slow down. Don't relent."