How Colorado Democrats say they’ll unseat Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 3rd district

Tribune Content Agency

DENVER — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s seat in Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District is vulnerable, Democratic officials say, and they’re launching a 17-month campaign to replace the far-right congresswoman.

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib announced the organization’s 546 Project Monday morning. The project takes its name from the number of votes that separated Boebert from her Democratic Challenger, Adam Frisch, in the November election.

In short, Colorado Democrats will lean on volunteers – they have more than two dozen so far – to knock on doors, call, text and email voters throughout the congressional district and muster support against Boebert, Murib said during a news conference.

First those volunteers will seek to learn more about the issues that are important to voters within the district, Murib said. They’ll do that by contacting more than 10,000 voters throughout the district over the summer, especially those that typically vote in midterm elections but didn’t in 2022.

“We can never win in red areas in the state if we don’t compete,” he said. “We can’t compete if we don’t understand the issues they care about.”

Then, the volunteers will move to activate those voters during local elections this fall, laying the groundwork for the 2024 election, Murib said.

Pueblo will be a particularly important focus for the project, Pueblo Democratic Party Chair Bri Buentello said during the conference.

The city is the 3rd Congressional District’s largest population center, making it key for anybody seeking the seat.

Buentello said Boebert, of Silt, has failed to adequately represent her constituents in Pueblo and has not once hosted a town hall in the city during her time in office.

“Pueblo is going to show up, Pueblo is going to make the difference, Pueblo is going to fire Lauren Boebert,” Buentello, a former state representative, said.

Other Democrats from across the district joined in on the conference to criticize Boebert’s time in office, including missing a vote on the country’s debt ceiling last week.

“She has failed to stand up for folks in her district,” state Rep. Elizabeth Velasco said. “It’s time we get someone who’s going to fight for us.”

As of the end of March, Frisch had raised nearly $1 million more than Boebert for their campaigns, Federal Elections Commission data shows. Democrats Debby Burnett and Davi Karpas and Republican Russ Andrews have also declared their candidacy in the race but the three of them combined have raised less than $7,300, the data shows.