Lauren Boebert absent from debate as rivals take shots (2024)

Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican who is running in the state's 4th Congressional District, was absent from a debate on Saturday as her GOP rivals took aim at her.

In December 2023, Boebert, a Donald Trump-supporting GOP hardliner who currently represents Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in the House, announced she was going to run for the state's traditionally more conservative 4th District. Boebert said she made the move seeking a "fresh start" after a "pretty difficult year for me and my family." Critics argued the district switch was due to worries about losing to Democrat Adam Frisch—who she narrowly beat for reelection by around 500 votes in the 2022 midterms.

On Saturday, a debate hosted at the Grizzly Rose by the Republican Women of Weld and the Lincoln Club of Colorado aimed to bring together Boebert and five of her rivals in the GOP primary. The congresswoman, however, was not in attendance as organizers said she declined the invitation despite participating in two other debates last week. Her GOP rivals took shots at Boebert in her absence.

Newsweek has reached out to Boebert's office and campaign via email for comment.

Boebert, who has won endorsem*nts from House Republican leadership and the Colorado Republican Party, will have to defeat state Representatives Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf, ex-state Senator Jerry Sonnenberg, business owner Peter Yu and former talk radio presenter Deborah Flora in order to secure the Republican nomination for Colorado's 4th District.

During Saturday's debate, all five of Boebert's rivals criticized the congresswoman for voting against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election in the hours following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and said they would not have joined her and other Republicans members in doing so.

Trump endorsed Boebert in March in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, and also gave her a shout out during a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in which he suggested that she would "do fantastically in [her] district."

While the effectiveness of the former president's endorsem*nts have been questionable in general races, they have been shown to move the needle considerably for candidates in GOP primary races.

"Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is a Proven Conservative and Effective Leader who delivers for Colorado, and our America First agenda," the former president wrote in his post. "Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is a trusted America First Fighter, and has my Complete and Total Endorsem*nt for Colorado's 4th Congressional District!"

When asked by the panel at the debate on Saturday what sets them apart from Boebert, the GOP candidates pointed towards several reasons

Lynch, while not mentioning Boebert by name, pointed towards how he has passed legislation while seeming to note the congresswoman's decision to seek reelection in another district.

"One I've actually passed legislation ... we're hearing a whole bunch of rhetoric that really doesn't ever talk about results, This race and this time is important enough that we need people who know how to get stuff done ... I would never abandon my district," Lynch said

Meanwhile, Flora, who also did not mention Boebert by name, appeared to say the lawmaker is not the best fit for the district as she said the district's growing population with unaffiliated voters needs someone that "reflects them."

"It really is time to rebuild our party ... This district needs someone that reflects them, and will reach out to our neighbors and treat them like what they are—not our enemy, someone for us to persuade," Flora said.

Sonnenberg seemed to take aim at Boebert's public scandals while also not naming the representative directly, stating he is a "work horse, not a show horse."

"Integrity and character in my neck of the woods is vital...If you're looking for someone that wants to be on TV, I'm not it. If you want somebody that's a work horse, and not a show horse, that's me."

Yu said Boebert had weak support in the district and said that he has a connection.

"I can count on one hand how many people are supporting her throughout the district. I feel like who is she is who she is, but in regards to what the difference between me and her is I have connection to this district. I believe hard work matters, people realize that's who I am, that's why I'm out there."

Meanwhile, Holtorf criticized Boebert for being the "wrong fit" for the 4th District, adding that she doesn't know Eastern Colorado.

"Lets talk about why you need a fighter...a warrior because we are in a battle for the Republic... I want to talk about the difference, Boebert voted against the water projects in Colorado in Washington D.C. for Colorado. How do you do that if you represent this state, you can't. She doesn't know eastern Colorado and she was the wrong fit for this congressional district," he said.

Newsweek has reached out to Yu, Lynch, Flora, Holtorf and Sonnenberg's campaign via email for comment.

The debate and Republican Primary comes after some have taken issue with Boebert's mounting personal scandals, most prominently an incident in which she was kicked out of a Denver theater for inappropriate behavior with a date, for which she has since apologized.

However, Floyd Ciruli, a Colorado pollster, previously explained to ABC News in March that despite some pushback on Boebert's personal brand, she not only has the money and universal recognition of her name, but has Trump's support to get her through the race.

"She's got the money, she's got universal name identification, she has several other people running, so there'll be a multi-candidate ballot. And she had initially [Republican House Speaker Mike] Johnson's support, and now she has Trump's. And that's a Trump district," he added.

Meanwhile, Boebert is polling 14 points behind potential Democratic rival Ike McCorkle in a hypothetical matchup in the Colorado 4th District general election, according to a poll conducted by Gravis Marketing from May 22-24. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent.

Updated 6/3/2024 at 9:34 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.