Boebert is leaving CO-3. What does that mean for liberal orgs invested in her district?
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
In November 2022, Adam Frisch surprised most pundits in Colorado and around the country when he was 546 votes away from besting Representative Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Silt, in a district assumed safe for Republicans.
A few months after the election, some statewide Democratic groups launched efforts to engage voters in Boebert’s district — but on Dec. 27, she announced she is joining the crowded Republican primary to replace Rep. Ken Buck in the state’s 4th Congressional District, which includes much of the Eastern Plains and parts of the Front Range suburbs.
The Chieftain spoke with two Colorado organizations that have launched campaigns in Boebert’s original district, which includes the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley and the Pueblo region, to see what her move to another district means for their efforts.
Rocky Mountain Values will continue holding Boebert's 'feet to the fire'
A Denver-based dark money nonprofit called Rocky Mountain Values (RMV) first formed in 2019 to target former U.S. Sen. Corey Gardner, a Republican from Yuma, according to the Colorado Sun.
The group launched an initial television ad blitz in the Pueblo area in June 2023, featuring a Pueblo veteran who said that Boebert has voted against lowering prescription drug costs and supported a plan cutting social security.
Amber Miller, the spokesperson for Rocky Mountain Values, told the Chieftain that RMV spent approximately $1 million last year on advertising, mostly in the Pueblo area. Most recently, RMV commissioned a six-part choral rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with amended lyrics that poke at Boebert.
Miller said that the group is going to continue its efforts to hold Boebert accountable for her votes on economic issues, but the scope of their marketing this year is not yet finalized.
RMV could follow Boebert over to her new district, but that is still to be determined — and would depend on what funding the group can secure, Miller said.
“The question is open to us of how we might want to expand our work, but (Boebert) is still the congresswoman in District 3 — she still has votes she's going to be casting throughout this session and we're going to be there to hold her feet to the fire,” Miller said.
As a nonprofit registered with the Internal Revenue Service, Rocky Mountain Values is not required to disclose its donors. The group has advocated against Republican politicians but is not directly affiliated with any political party.
Colorado Democratic Party 'doubling down' on 546 Project
Just days after the first ad from Rocky Mountain Values started to hit Pueblo airwaves, the Colorado Democratic Party launched a major initiative of its own.
The 546 Project, named after Frisch’s tight margin of loss, started in June of last year with the goal of re-engaging voters in the 3rd District who didn’t vote in the 2022 midterms.
Boebert was a frequent target at the virtual press conference announcing the initiative. But Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, told the Chieftain that the aim of the project has “always been bigger than Lauren Boebert.”
“We are doubling down on the 546 Project because the entire goal that we have is not just to beat any single member of Congress, but to build long-term infrastructure that elects community-minded folks to office across the state,” from the U.S. Senate to city councils, Murib said.
Murib said that a part-time staffer for the project, which is being funded by the party’s operating budget, is starting very soon in Pueblo.
He said that they will still be working in western and southern Colorado to support the eventual Democratic nominee — Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout is running against Frisch in the party’s primary.
Gunnison veterinarian Debby Burnett left the race in August 2023 and political newcomer Adam Withrow is now running as an unaffiliated candidate.
But Democrats will also work in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, not only to defeat Boebert, but to work on electing more Democratic candidates at all levels of government.
“The great thing about Lauren Boebert — and I hesitate to say anything good about her — is that she inspires action from people, from Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated. … The energy that we're getting from folks all across CD4 to step up and be even more active is exactly why Boebert was going to lose CD3,” Murib said.
“It's no secret that's a more conservative, red-leaning part of the state,” Murib said, adding that his goal as party chair has been to help Democrats compete in areas of the state where they haven’t as much in the past.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How liberal organizations are reacting to Boebert's departure from CO-3
