Lauren Boebert Faces Battle for Her Future

Representative Lauren Boebert is facing a two-pronged battle for her political future, with a primary challenge from fellow Republican Jeff Hurd ahead of a possible rematch with her 2022 opponent, Democrat Adam Frisch, who unexpectedly came within a few hundred votes of unseating her.

In September, Boebert apologized after footage emerged of her groping a male companion during a performance of the musical Beetlejuice at a Colorado theater. She was also asked to leave for repeatedly vaping and taking photographs.

Since assuming office in January 2021 after pulling off a surprise primary win against GOP incumbent Scott Tipton in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, Boebert has emerged as one of Donald Trump's most enthusiastic supporters in the House. She has gained celebrity with a number of high-profile stunts, such as heckling President Joe Biden while he discussed veterans developing cancer during his 2022 State of the Union address.

Over the past few weeks, Hurd, a Grand Junction, Colorado, attorney who is widely seen as a more conventional Republican than Boebert, has gained a string of prominent local GOP endorsements, including one from ex-Colorado Governor Bill Owens and Rio Blanco County Commissioner Ty Gates.

Analysis by Newsweek shows at least 10 former Boebert donors who gave her nearly $13,000 during her 2020 campaign have since defected and are now funding Hurd.

Three Colorado Republicans, Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes and Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and Bobbie Daniel, cited Boebert's behavior at the Beetlejuice performance as a motivation for switching their support to Hurd.

"Just after the congresswoman's issues at the theater, I just decided that we had to do something different," Suppes told Time magazine.

Boebert and her companion were escorted out of the Buell Theater in Denver on September 10. She initially made light of the incident on X (formerly Twitter), posting, "It's true, I did thoroughly enjoy the AMAZING Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud! Everyone should go see it if you get the chance this week and please let me know how it ends!"

However, after footage was released showing her vaping during the performance, as well as groping and being groped by her companion, she issued an apology.

"The past few days have been difficult and humbling, and I'm truly sorry for the unwanted attention my Sunday evening in Denver has brought to the community," she said. "While none of my actions or words as a private citizen that night were intended to be malicious or meant to cause harm, the reality is they did and I regret that."

If Boebert defeats Hurd's primary challenge, she could face another contest against Frisch, a local businessman whom she beat by 546 votes during the 2022 midterm election.

Frisch previously told Newsweek he was motivated to run in a district that "leans 7, 8, 9, 10 points Republican" because of what he perceives as Boebert's radicalism.

"I think if there was a traditional, moderate Republican who actually took the job seriously, I would not have thought about running for a couple of reasons," he said. "One is if there was a moderate, serious Republican in the seat, they would probably be doing a fairly good job in my mind of representing their district. And two, it would be very, very hard for even a really conservative Democrat to defeat a moderate Republican because of how the numbers work out.

Newsweek has reached out to Boebert for comment by email.

However, Thomas Gift, a political scientist who heads the Centre on US Politics at University College London, told Newsweek that Boebert shouldn't be ruled out.

"Lauren Boebert is a national political punch line," he said. "But in today's GOP, that's hardly disqualifying for a seat in the House of Representatives. It's no surprise that the Republican establishment wants a primary alternative, but it's hard to discount the strength of the MAGA base that will fight tooth and nail for her."

Gift went on: "Boebert's recent antics at the theater are hardly the first time she's embarrassed herself. And yet she's still been able to keep her seat in Congress. It's possible that if enough donor money is thrown at a primary challenger, Boebert could face a tough campaign.

"But it's equally possible that hard-right conservative voters revolt against what they perceive as mainstream, donor-class Republicans trying to tell them what to do. That could mean voting for Boebert simply out of spite," Gift said.