Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz speak at Pueblo GOP's annual Lincoln Day Dinner

Two of the most famous and conservative members of Congress addressed an audience of Pueblo Republicans Friday during the local GOP's annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Pueblo Convention Center.

Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz, ardent supporters of former President Donald Trump and frequent guests on Fox News, discussed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, climate change and the FBI while taking shots at the Democratic Party and Boebert's opponent in the race to represent the 3^rd Congressional District, Adam Frisch.

Boebert and Gaetz, along with other Freedom Caucus members such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, are among some of the most well-known members of Congress for their far-right voting records and controversial statements.

Boebert attacks Democrats, defends 'conservative message'

Boebert told the crowd she would continue fighting against “Nancy Pelosi’s agenda” and came out on the attack against Frisch.

Boebert unseated incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton in the primary in June 2020 and handily defeated state Sen. Don Coram’s primary challenge this year. Her opponent, Frisch, of Aspen, is running on a moderate platform and is seeking to woo unaffiliated voters.

Boebert is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, one of the most conservative groups of legislators, and is a controversial figure with a national reputation. She owned Shooters Grill, a gun-themed restaurant, with her husband, Jayson, prior to its closure in July.

“I love dealing with you, seeing you, looking you directly in the eyes, hearing about the issues that matter most to you, and then coming up with a solution in the swamp to try to get things right. After all, I am from the federal government, and I'm here to help,” Boebert said with a smile, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

Frisch has publicly criticized Boebert for spending too much time out of state at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and campaigning for other candidates. While Boebert didn’t directly respond to Frisch’s statements, she defended the time she spends outside of the state to campaign for other right-wing candidates, such as Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire and Mary Miller in Illinois, saying they also cast votes in Congress and represent people around the country.

Boebert’s campaign has recently launched ads attacking Frisch’s experience in Aspen, stemming from comments she made at their September debate in Grand Junction. The ads bash Frisch’s experience on Aspen City Council and feature a shadowy image of Pelosi.

Frisch said at the September debate that he is not Nancy Pelosi and would not support her as speaker of the House if elected.

Boebert attacked Frisch for running as a “conservative Democrat.”

“We're up on an election right now, so, suddenly everyone is speaking this conservative message," Boebert said. "Everyone's suddenly a conservative. It's almost like these conservative policies are what's going to get our country back on track. Even my Democratic opponent is lying to all of you. He is telling you that he is a conservative. Well, Aspen Adam is far from conservative."

Boebert said Republicans should defend the “conservative message” of supporting law enforcement and reducing inflation, which have been common themes for Colorado Republican candidates.

“We cannot allow the Democrats to get ahead in messaging. This is our message. Our conservative message is what is going to turn this country around and save freedom and prosperity for every family in America. We cannot allow them to hijack this, pretend that they did not want to defund our police, pretend that they did not want to spend us into oblivion,” Boebert said.

Efforts toward defunding police and reallocating funding to alternative community safety programs rose to prominence in the national discourse in the summer of 2020 amid widespread protests against police brutality. Over the past few years, many moderate Democrats have pushed back against “defunding police” rhetoric.

In Pueblo, a voter-approved sales tax increase, which is up for a five-year renewal in November, raised an additional $15 million for the police department, which has allocated $12 million of the additional revenue since 2018.

Boebert also attacked Congressional Democrats and plans for a Green New Deal, which would inject federal funding into mitigating climate change.

“I get it, Pueblo. Climate change is absolutely real. It happens four times every year,” Boebert said.

Frisch also stopped in Pueblo Friday night, hosting a meet-and-greet at Pueblo Community College.

Gaetz defends 'fighting wing' of GOP

Gaetz has represented Florida’s 1^st District, the northwestern panhandle, since 2017. He has been investigated for multiple alleged ethics violations and is under a probe for alleged child sex trafficking for his alleged involvement with a then-17-year-old. Gaetz has disputed the claims. The Washington Post recently reported that he will likely not be charged because of credibility issues with two key witnesses.

Gaetz told the Pueblo crowd Friday that people often come up to him because they recognize him for defending Trump during impeachment trials or from his appearances on Fox News.

He reflected on the mission of what President Joe Biden referred to as “ultra-MAGA Republicans."

"I think he's talking about us, Lauren,” Gaetz said.

"You know what? I come from the fighting wing of the Republican Party and I think it's time to put us back in the middle of ring,” Gaetz said to loud applause from the crowd. “Circumstances have changed so much in our country. When I first ran for Congress in 2016, I thought the FBI and the CDC were the good guys. I woke up one day, and the CDC wanted the power of the CIA, and ended up with the credibility of CNN.”

Many conservatives have attacked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic for instituting public health guidelines. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has only recently attracted widespread criticism from far-right figures after raiding Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August to recover classified documents taken from the White House.

Perspective from local Republicans

Throughout the dinner, where seats cost a minimum of $100, Pueblo County GOP Chairman Rob Leverington and Vice Chairwoman Susan Carr cracked jokes about Democrats.

After the keynote speakers, the pair also honored some Pueblo Republicans for service awards and recognition.

Pueblo City Councilwoman Regina Maestri, who emceed the event, talked about how there are more Republican candidates running for local office than in previous years.

“We have a series of candidates coming out of Pueblo that we haven't seen before — this is some change," Maestri said. "Moving forward, we're not afraid of the Democratic Party ruling the county anymore."

Most local Republican candidates running for county and state government introduced themselves to the crowd. District 3 state Senate candidate Stephen Varela emphasized the importance of the Pueblo-based seat he's running for, which has the potential to flip the balance of the Colorado chamber that has been controlled by Democrats since 2019.

“Here's why it's so important: because this seat flips the Colorado Senate (if) we win this seat. This is number 18,” Varela said, referring to the number of Republicans needed for a majority in the 35-person state Senate. “We can have a backstop to all the stuff that is going on in Denver.”

Varela was previously registered as a Democrat as recently as February 2021 and was involved in founding Rural Colorado United, a group that had opposed Boebert, but has since distanced himself from the group. The Pueblo GOP overwhelmingly supported Varela at the county assembly in March 2022 — no other candidates qualified for primary ballots.

More:Both candidates in Pueblo’s state Senate race have swapped parties at least 10 times

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for The Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Republicans host Reps. Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz at fundraiser