Lauren Boebert makes panic move, tries switching House districts, as 2024 falls apart for her

| 8:11 pm EST December 27, 2023
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Lauren Boebert’s prospects for getting reelected in Colorado’s 3rd House District have been steadily dropping for awhile. She was reelected by only about 500 votes in 2022, and since that time she’s faced worsening scandals even as her Democratic challenger Adam Frisch has gained momentum. Now Boebert is giving up on her own seat and is instead pursuing another.

Boebert announced this evening that she’s bailing on Colorado’s 3rd District in 2024, and she’ll instead run in Colorado’s 4th District, where Republican Ken Buck is retiring. The 4th District leans very far to the right, and a Republican is always guaranteed to win there. But this may not improve Boebert’s odds, because she may not end up being the only Republican running in the 4th District primary race. There are presumably a number of Colorado Republicans who want Buck’s seat.

This isn’t exactly good news for the Democrats. While Colorado’s 3rd District is vaguely competitive, it still leans seven points Republican. Boebert’s unpopularity was the main reason that Democrat Adam Frisch was slightly favored to win. Depending on who the Republican nominee ends up being in the 3rd District, Frisch may now have a tougher road in 2024.

But these are the kinds of things that happen when you’re talking about 435 different House races every two years. People change districts and try different tactics. Our goal will always be to focus on the House races that are going to be the most competitive, and try to make a difference in those races, because they’re the ones that end up deciding the House majority. We’ll see what those races end up being once the dust settles.