Lauren Boebert Loses Endorsements Over Theater Fondling

Representative Lauren Boebert is losing endorsements from prominent Colorado Republicans to her GOP rival Jeff Hurd over last month's Beetlejuice scandal.

At least three notable Republicans—including Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes and Mesa County Commissioners Cody Davis and Bobbie Daniel—have cited the incident as part of their decisions to endorse Hurd over Boebert.

"Just after the congresswoman's issues at the theater, I just decided that we had to do something different," Suppes told Time magazine. "So I started reaching out and trying to make sure that we had the right person in that seat for the next election."

"I've defended Lauren for [2 1/2] years now, hoping that things would improve and she'd become a more effective leader," Davis added. "I think she was about to round that corner, and I was complimentary of that, but what she did at Beetlejuice was altogether indefensible."

Boebert dominated national headlines last month after she was kicked out of a Denver performance of the musical Beetlejuice for vaping, illegally recording and causing a disturbance during the show. Her office had denied that she was vaping, but security footage caught her doing so and also depicted her fondling her date.

Boebert's campaign told Newsweek that the conservative firebrand continues to have "the support of grassroots conservatives and 3rd District voters" for the work she's doing for them in Congress.

"From leading the fight to impeach [President] Joe Biden to the seven bills on local 3rd District issues like water and rural economic development she's gotten passed through at least a House committee, voters know Rep. Boebert is producing results," her campaign manager Drew Sexton said. "Our campaign is continuing to focus on substantive 3rd District issues and her track record of legislative wins, which is why Coloradans will re-elect her in 2024."

But Hurd's campaign has depicted Boebert as the exact opposite—an elected official who's too preoccupied with making national headlines about her personal life instead of the work she's doing for the district.

"I grew up in western Colorado, and I know this kind of stuff doesn't reflect our values," Hurd told Newsweek. "Representative Boebert is trying to make light of the situation, but her lack of respect and courtesy means she's once again in the news for something other than delivering results for working families and communities in her district. I promise to never, ever say, 'Do you know who I am.' I want to be elected to do something, not to be someone."

According to the Denver venue, Boebert made comments along the lines of, "Do you know who I am?" and "I will be contacting the mayor."

Hurd's messaging, and the inroads he's made among former Boebert supporters, may be helping convince other Republicans in the district to back a different candidate than the incumbent. On Thursday, former Colorado Governor Bill Owens, the last Republican to lead the state in 2007, announced he would endorse Hurd in the House race.

"Jeff is a man of character. He is a hardworking, smart and sincere leader who will deliver for the district," Owens said in a statement. "He will fight for our agricultural community and ranchers, to protect our Colorado water, to combat inflation, and push for our energy independence."

Despite launching his campaign halfway through the third quarter, Hurd was still able to raise almost half of what Boebert did between July through September, suggesting that he could likely shore up just as much money as the race continues.

But neither has raised as much as Democrat Adam Frisch, who brought in nearly $3.4 million in that same amount of time and who unexpectedly turned Boebert's reelection into the closest House contest in the nation during the 2022 midterms. The challenge that Frisch poses has raised the stakes in the GOP primary as Republicans look to find the best candidate to hold the seat.

Some, however, insist that Boebert remains the strong choice, describing her as someone with "a lot of influence" on the national level.

"She is one of the biggest fundraisers in the House Republican Conference," Colorado Representative Matt Soper, who defended Boebert over the Beetlejuice incident, told Time. Soper described the congresswoman as being "very, very apologetic" for what happened and cut her some slack since it happened on one of her first dates since getting divorced from her husband of nearly 20 years.

"I think the real question starts to become, 'Will her colleagues who have really benefited from her, both as being a bomb-thrower and a fundraiser, come to her rescue in a primary?'" he asked, adding that he wouldn't endorse a candidate in the primary so he can preserve his relationship with the ultimate winner.

Update 10/26/23, 5:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Hurd and additional information.