Lauren Boebert Brutally Rebuked in Home State Newspaper: 'Embarrassing'

Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, received a stern rebuke from The Denver Post on Friday, which accused her of "playing strategic games" over her recent decision to run for reelection in a different district in 2024.

On Wednesday, Boebert, one of the most adamantly pro-Trump members of the House GOP, announced that she would be running for reelection to the House of Representatives in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, as opposed to the 3rd, where she has held office since 2021.

"It's the right move for me personally, and it's the right decision for those who support our conservative movement," the congresswoman said in a Facebook announcement video. "Colorado's 4th District is hungry for an unapologetic defender of freedom with a proven track record of standing strong for conservative principles."

Despite her own explanation of the decision, the move has been widely viewed as an attempt by Boebert to avoid treacherous reelection odds in the 3rd District where she is facing a notable primary challenge from Republican Jeff Hurd, and an even more fraught general election challenge from Democrat Adam Frisch. Colorado's 4th District is currently being represented by Representative Ken Buck, a Republican, who announced last month that he would not be seeking reelection next year.

Frisch previously challenged Boebert in the 2022 midterms, nearly pulling off an upset win in the race, which had not been seen by observers as a potentially competitive one. The former Aspen city council member ended up losing the race to Boebert by a little less than 600 votes and is currently mounting another campaign for the 3rd District seat again in 2024. Given her narrow reelection, her recent spate of controversies, and renewed national interest in Frisch, Boebert had been given poor odds for victory next year, further imperiling the GOP's slim House majority.

The Denver Post, one the biggest newspapers in Colorado, published an op-ed from opinion page editor Megan Schrader on Friday rebuking Boebert for seeming to "cut and run" from the 3rd District to the 4th where the odds of a Democrat victory are "negligible." The piece, titled "Opinion: Does Boebert's unabashed seat shopping really matter?" also lambasted the congresswoman for accomplishing little for her original district and for "embarrassing" her constituents with public scandals.

"Facing such daunting prospects, Boebert did what any unabashed person would do, abandon her constituents to seek office in another community where the incumbent has retired and the competition isn't nearly as stiff," Schrader wrote. "The move has all the makings of a backroom deal to clear the road for Hurd, a more moderate Republican, to secure the nomination and defeat Frisch in the general election."

Newsweek reached out to Boebert's office via email for comment.