Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is facing blowback for her decision to run for a different, more conservative, congressional district in 2024, as she stared down what was expected to be a competitive reelection race within her current district lines. 

What You Need To Know

  • Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is facing blowback for her decision to run for a different, more conservative, congressional district in 2024
  • She was staring down what was expected to be a competitive reelection race within her current district lines against Democrat Adam Frisch 
  • Colorado GOP chair expressed skepticism about the move, saying Boebert is facing a "problematic proposition" 
  • The Colorado secretary of state blasted Boebert for the decision, calling it an attempt to hold onto power

On Wednesday, Boebert -- an outspoken member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus who received national attention after getting escorted out of a theater earlier this year -- announced she would run for retiring Colorado Rep. Ken Buck's seat in 2024. 

Her decision to leave Colorado’s 3rd District allows her to avoid a rematch with Democratic candidate Adam Frisch, who has vastly outraised her this cycle and came within a few hundred votes of beating her in 2022. 

The state’s Republican Party leader expressed skepticism of the decision in an interview on CNN, saying, “We certainly don’t think it was the best move.”

“We felt that she was best suited for Congressional District Three and that she was in the best position to win reelection and retain that for Republicans,” Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williamson said, adding that “time will tell” whether that assessment is accurate. 

“I think she’s got a serious challenge on her hands trying to explain to the voters of CD-4 why she felt it was necessary to leave CD-3 and have a better chance at keeping her seat in Congress,” he went on. “It’s kind of a problematic proposition but it’s, again, it’s something for the voters to decide.” 

On the Democratic side, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold blasted Boebert’s move, calling it an attempt to “hold onto power.” 

“Boebert’s actions are blatant self-preservation,” Griswold told MSNBC. “She knows that she has failed the citizens of her district. She has failed to deliver Coloradans on the western slope on issues that matter to them. She has failed to deliver legislatively.” 

Meanwhile, Frisch, a former Aspen city councilmember, said Boebert was “running scared” from the district in a statement.

“This just proves Lauren Boebert was never committed to the communities of #CO03. She is only in politics for herself,” he added in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, with his official statement attached. 

In a post on X with a video announcing her decision, Boebert said “I am going to do everything in my power to represent the 3rd District well for the remainder of this term as I work to earn the trust of grassroots conservative voters in the 4th District to represent them in 2025.”

While Boebert does not currently live in Colorado’s 4th district, she said she would be moving. Congressional candidates are not required to live in the district they represent, only the state the district is in. 

Still, there are no guarantees for Boebert in the 4th District race with several other people already vying for the seat and her now-fellow candidates already honing in on the fact that she currently lives across the state. 

“Seat shopping isn’t something the voters look kindly upon,” Richard Holtorf, a member of the Colorado General Assembly and a Republican running to replace Buck said in a statement. “If you can’t win in your home, you can’t win here.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report