Who is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert? The controversial Congresswoman faces off in first debate

Two-term US Representative Lauren Boebert came out on top of a packed GOP primary field in Colorado’s Fourth District, garnering over 43% of the vote in this year’s GOP primary. Though she is an incumbent, she stands accused of carpetbagging by jumping into the race in the state’s fourth district after her chances of re-election in her current district (CO-3) worsened.

Now, she faces off against Democrat Trisha Calvarese, and during a debate hosted by a private country club earlier this week, the Congresswoman struggled to defend her record in Congress. Though she focused on her record of voting against large spending bills, her opponent criticized her for lacking the skills needed to negotiate on behalf of her constituents. By rejecting bills out of hand, she passes on opportunities to bring jobs and much-needed funding to the district, argued Calvarese.

Calavarse continued her attack on X, posting clips from the debate and reaffirming her talking point. The Congresswoman has yet to comment publicly about the event or agree to a televised debate.

Though Congresswoman Boebert was able to win in 2020 with ease, she nearly lost her seat in 2022, winning by a margin on 546. Though the 4th district is considered a GOP stronghold, her presence on the ballot could make it harder to hold onto. The previous representative from that district resigned in March after having accused the GOP of perpetuating “insidious narratives [that] breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law.”

Who is Lauren Boebert?

Prior to being elected to Colorado’s Third District for the first time, the mother of four had never held any political office. She was “the proud owner of Shooter’s Grill, a Second Amendment and Western-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado where staff open-carried,” according to her congressional bio.

In 2020, the right-wing firebrand unexpectedly beat the five-term incumbent Scott Tipton in the Republican primary despite Trump’s endorsement of Tipton. She went on to win the vote in the 2020 general election by a wide margin against her Democratic opponent.

Since she has been in Congress, she has been part of the far-right wing of the GOP and a vocal supporter of Trump. She became the spokesperson for the Freedom Caucus in January 2022.

While she has said she is not a supporter of the Qanon conspiracy theory, she has express support for it and her campaign page on ‘election integrity’ serves up much of the election fraud espoused that all of which have been debunked.

Boebert has been plagued by scandals since coming to Washington

Boebert’s time in Washington has been rife with scandals. She caused a ruckus not even a month into office when she was initially denied entry to House chambers for refusing to hand over her bag after setting off the newly installed metal detectors. A vocal Second Amendment advocate, she later said that she was legally permitted to carry her firearm in DC.

The metal detectors had been installed after the assault on the US Capitol on January 6 by Trump supporters to stop the Electoral College vote. Boebert herself was one of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the legitimate 2020 presidential election results.

Over the past four years she has been accused of unbecoming conduct including heckling President Biden during the State of the Union address and making Islamophobic comments about Muslim colleagues in Congress.

Last year, she was escorted out of a live performance of the musical ‘Beetlejuice’ at the Buell Theatre in Denver. She was asked to leave after vaping and causing a disturbance during the show as well as engaging in lewd acts of groping with her date during the family-friendly performance.