IF Lauren Boebert is going to be a one-term member of Congress, it’ll have to be Democratic challenger Adam Frisch who defeats her after Boebert easily won her primary over Republican challenger Don Coram on Tuesday.
Frisch, meanwhile, surprised the Democratic field by squeaking out a win over Sol Sandoval and Alex Walker for the right to face Boebert in November.
“I am humbled the voters selected me to defeat Boebert,” Frisch said Tuesday night. “Over 55 percent of voters selected someone other than Boebert in the primary. I’ll build that same coalition to beat Boebert in November.”
Sandoval entered as the Democratic favorite and carried the San Luis Valley in Tuesday’s primary. But she underperformed in her back yard of Pueblo, while Frisch held his own in Pueblo and then ran strong west from Gunnison to La Plata County.
Frisch is a former Aspen city councilman and is current president of the Aspen school board. With him as the Democratic nominee and Boebert from the Rifle-Silt area, the 3rd Congressional District race takes on a distinct Western Slope feel.
The Boebert-Frisch race will draw national attention given Boebert’s profile representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and now heightened attention given recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Political strategists said Frisch will need to raise at least $500,000 to compete across the congressional district, which includes 26 counties and stretches from Pueblo down to the San Luis Valley and through the Western Slope and as far north as Moffat County.
Boebert, for her part, will have no shortage of campaign money. She’s been the most prolific fundraiser among Colorado’s congressional delegation and finished 2021 with $2 million to spend, according to campaign finance records.
“I’m thrilled the voters showed their confidence in me to continue being their representative,” Boebert said following Tuesday’s win. “Hard-working Americans recognize now is not the time to go along to get along, it’s time to stand up and fight for our American way of life.”