Lauren Boebert suffers humiliating finish in Colorado district poll

Controversial Republican Lauren Boebert placed fifth in a straw poll of voters amid her bid to win re-election to the House of Representatives.

The Colorado right-winger debated against eight other Republicans in a congressional primary debate in the state, where she seemingly convinced only 10 per cent of those who were surveyed – taking just 12 of 117 votes in a non-scientific poll – according to Colorado Politics.

In December, Boebert announced that she was planning to move from the third congressional district in Colorado, where she has served since 2021, to the fourth congressional district – which will be vacant after fellow Republican Ken Buck announced that he would not be seeking a sixth term.

Making his intention public, Buck said his party’s “insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law”, according to AP News.

“Too many Republican leaders are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing January 6 as an unguided tour of the Capitol and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponisation of our justice system,” the congressman added.

If she wins the Republican nomination, the fourth district would give Boebert a better chance of being re-elected, because it is historically more Republican-leaning than the third.

In 2022, she beat Democrat Adam Frisch in the third district by fewer than 600 votes.

No Democrat has received more than 40 per cent of the vote as a candidate in the district since 2010.

Political groups took to Twitter/X to comment on the straw poll, with Republicans Against Trump claiming the result means Boebert’s time in Congress is coming to an end.

“Lauren Boebert finishes fifth in a straw poll at the first GOP primary debate in her new district. She received just 10 per cent of the vote from the Republicans who participated in the survey at the debate. She’s finished,” the group said.

Boebert has previously defended her decision to switch districts, claiming that she and her family needed a fresh start.

“There are many folks that cannot vote for me, and I vote for them each and every day. The crops may be different in Colorado’s fourth district, but the values are not, and I’m a proven fighter for the values that you all believe in, that you want to secure your rights, your children’s future,” she said during the debate on Thursday (25 January).

At the time of her decision to change districts, she said: “I did not arrive at this easily. A lot of prayer, a lot of tough conversations and a lot of perspective convinced me that this is the best way I can continue to fight for Colorado, for the conservative movement and for my children’s future.”

Boebert has been the subject of several headlines in the past few months, attracting criticism for being removed from a stage version of Beetlejuice in Denver in September after audience members complained about her behaviour, including allegedly inappropriately groping her date.

Following the complaints, Boebert issued an apology, saying: “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.” 

She has also faced criticism for her stand against abortion, denying climate change and deliberately misgendering a trans person.