Lauren Boebert Chided by Colorado Official for 'Blatant Self-Preservation'

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold bashed Lauren Boebert's decision to shift House congressional districts in the next year's election cycle, describing it as "blatant self-preservation."

On Wednesday, Boebert—a Republican hardliner representing Colorado's third congressional district since 2021—announced that she will seek re-election in the state's fourth congressional district in an attempt to strengthen her chances of victory.

The fourth district, which is being left vacant by Republican Ken Buck—who will not be seeking re-election because he disagrees with widespread beliefs within the GOP that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump—is considered more conservative than the third district.

Talking on MSNBC on Thursday evening, Griswold—a 39-year-old Democrat who in 2018 became the youngest elected secretary of state in the country—condemned Boebert's decision.

"I think Lauren Boebert's actions are blatant self-preservation," she said. "She knows that she has failed the citizens of her district. She has failed to deliver Coloradans on the Western Slope on issues that matter to them. She has failed to deliver legislatively," she continued.

"There's scandal after scandal after scandal. So I do think this is her trying to hold on to power, and ultimately we will see how the primary plays out in this new district which, by the way, is literally on the opposite side of the state from where she currently serves as congresswoman."

It was a year marked by scandal and controversy for the Republican congresswoman. In September, the congresswoman was caught on camera groping and vaping with a date during a performance of the musical Beetlejuice at a theater in Denver. The two were removed from the musical performance after complaints from other members of the audience.

The incident came at a time when Boebert was in the midst of divorcing her husband of 18 years and the father of her four sons. Newsweek contacted Boebert's office for comment by email on Friday.

In a video announcing her decision to shift House districts posted on social media on Wednesday, Boebert said the move was a "fresh start" after a "pretty difficult year for me and my family." But she also said that her decision would be a good one "for those who support our conservative movement" and would prevent Democrats from taking the third congressional district.

In 2022, Boebert was narrowly re-elected with a final difference between her and her rival, Democrat Adam Frisch, of 546 votes. Frisch, who's once again seeking election in the district, has already raised more than three times the funds that Boebert has in the past three months.