Dem
51
GOP
49
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) won in 2022 by the smallest margin of any representative, 546 votes. Her challenger, Adam Frisch, is now a national hero to Democrats and the money is pouring in. Boebert may have her hands full beating him again. Or maybe she won't. Because she might not be the Republican nominee in CO-03, even though it is R+7.
The problem is that more than a few Colorado Republicans are fed up with her antics, especially her making out with her new (and already former) boyfriend at a performance of Beetlejuice in Denver in October. They now have a way to display their displeasure with her in the form of Colorado native and attorney Jeff Hurd, a conservative but conventional Republican, who has announced a primary challenge to Boebert. His whole pitch is on improving the lives of people in rural Colorado. For voters who want a representative who will focus on the people of Western Colorado, and not on herself, Hurd might be the ticket.
Hurd has already lined up some support, including former senator Hank Brown and Pete Coors, the scion of the local beer company. The former provides credibility and the latter provides cash for TV ads. It's a start. At the very least, Boebert is going to have to raise and spend money big time to fight off Hurd, who, thanks to Coors, isn't going to have a money problem, at least initially (technically, it will be his PAC that is flush, but that's good enough). This could mean that even if Boebert wins the primary, she might not have much money left for the general election. Frisch also has a primary opponent to deal with, but he is much better known than she is.
Hurd appears to be a throwback to the Reagan era. When asked if he voted for Trump, he declined to answer. He also said his vision of the Republican Party was one where "we believe in, you know, the rule of law, the peaceful transfer of power in elections." Doesn't sound Trumpy to us. Obviously, the Republican primary in CO-03 will be very closely watched. It will be on March 5, 2024 (Super Tuesday), the day after Donald Trump goes on trial in D.C. Could that influence Colorado voters? We'll let you know on March 6, 2024. (V)