'Damaged goods': Lauren Boebert loses support to GOP challenger over 'Beetlejuice' groping
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is expected to face a strong challenge in next year's election from Democrat Adam Frisch, who nearly beat her in 2022. But some Republicans in her district are hoping she doesn't even get that far.
County commissioners, donors and Colorado's last Republican governor have publicly supported Grand Junction attorney Jeff Hurd in his GOP primary challenge against Boebert, reported Colorado Public Radio.
“Look at what happened in the last general election. The Republican voters, they decided they weren't going to vote for personalities, and the Democrats decided they were going to vote against personalities,” said Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes.
“I think we reached the point that we need a statesman to run for this seat and we need somebody that's not going to have any external baggage.”
Republicans have grudgingly tolerated Boebert's antics in Congress, but many of them say “the Beetlejuice incident" was the final straw for them and have decided to back her Republican rival.
"Over the last two-and-a-half years, I've done my best to defend the record of Congresswoman Boebert," said Mesa County commissioner Cody Davis. "Haven't always been a fan of her style by any means. But what she did at Beetlejuice… it wasn't a simple mistake. I've had a lot of supporters of Lauren reach out to me: ‘Well, she made this mistake, worship forgiveness,’ all of this."
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"But, to be honest, this wasn't just a simple mistake," Davis added. "This was kind of a violent departure from normal, from statesmanship, from character… you name it.”
Elaine Kamark, head of the Primaries Project for the non-partisan Brookings Institute, said incumbents are at risk in primaries when voters feel like they're out of touch with their district or when they're tainted by a scandal that voters don't forget.
“She's a perfect candidate to get challenged in a primary,” Kamark said. "The Republican establishment in Colorado, particularly the former governor [Bill Owens], is saying to themselves, ‘Hey, she's damaged goods, we'd better get a new candidate if we want to hold on to this seat.’”
Dick Wadhams, a Republican political consultant and former Colorado GOP chair, said Republicans have been bothered by Boebert's behavior since she was first elected in 2020, but supported her last time — and he expects that to change after she was caught on video engaging in lewd behavior and vaping at the theater production of "Beetlejuice."
“I don't think they're going to be there this time. I think that's where the ‘Beetlejuice’ incident really hurt her," Wadhams said. "I think that tipped a lot of Republicans over in terms of voting for her, not only in a primary, but possibly even a general election."
Wadhams was more troubled by Boebert asking theater staff, "Do you know who I am?" than the behavior that got her kicked out in the first place.
“That to me, I think, sent a message to the district that she's already been in Washington too long,” he said. “When you start throwing that kind of a phraseology around, it's arrogant.”