Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and her 2022 Democratic rival Adam Frisch. Photo by Chip Somodevilla and Nathan Howard/Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh January 2, 2024

In a rematch, many thought mild-mannered Jewish businessman Adam Frisch could beat the notoriously provocative Rep. Lauren Boebert. 

But now Boebert, seemingly spooked by a wave of support from Democrat donors for Frisch, is bowing out of the race and entering another one — in a more conservative district on the other side of the state.

“Boebert is running scared,” Frish said in a statement following her announcement last week, “because she knows she can’t match our campaign’s ability to connect with voters.” 

But what becomes of Frisch, who was barely on the national radar in 2020 until he lost to Boebert by only 546 votes? Boebert, a Trump-supporting wing Republican, who has promoted a number of conspiracy theories, tried to bring a gun into Congress and last year got thrown out of a theater for disruptive behavior, had put off even many of her supporters.

With Boebert as his rival, it looked as if Frisch had a decent chance of winning the western Colorado district, which former President Donald Trump won by eight points in 2020. Frisch outraised the incumbent Republican almost 4-1 after he announced a rematch campaign in 2024. He also had a two-point lead in recent polling. The Cook Political Report considered the race a toss-up.

But now that Boebert has announced she will compete in the Republican primary for the open seat currently held by retiring Rep. Ken Buck in the eastern part of the state, Frisch will face someone else. And it will likely be a Republican who many voters in the 3rd District, which includes Aspen and Pueblo, may find more palatable than Boebert.

And Boebert is no shoe-in in her new district either.

The long road ahead

Frisch said that he won’t change his campaign strategy given the new contours of the race. His main rival now is Jeff Hurd, a lawyer who declared his candidacy in August and has won support from many establishment Republicans and the brewery scion Pete Coors.

The Cook Political Report’s new ranking for the district is “lean Republican.”

Frisch has proudly embraced his Jewish heritage as he campaigns in the rural district, where Jews make up only 1% of the electorate, according to a 2021 report from the Steinhardt Social Research Institute.

He said his “Jewish identity is central” to his family identity in a recent interview and in a position paper he shared with Jewish and pro-Israel groups.

Boebert is facing a crowded field in the GOP primary in the 4th District, where she said she intends to move. State Rep. Richard Holtorf, a contender in the primary, accused her of engaging in “seat shopping.”

If Boebert prevails in the June 25 primary, she is extremely likely to remain in Congress.

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