NBC News reports on a noteworthy maneuver:
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., announced Wednesday that she’ll be seeking the GOP nomination next year in a neighboring congressional district that’s solidly Republican, instead of her district where she eked out a win against a Democratic opponent during the 2022 midterms.
Boebert said she would be running in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, where fellow Republican Rep. Ken Buck previously announced he would not seek re-election. Last year, Boebert won a second term representing the 3rd Congressional District, beating her Democratic opponent by less than 600 votes. [NBC News]
I think it’s clear that Boebert has made herself unelectable in her current District, which is Colorado District 3, with her pronouncements, her antics, and attempts to cover up and otherwise justify said antics, and so she’s moving to District 4, which has an open seat, although the primary will be crowded and includes at least one former member of the Colorado legislature.
But the question is whether Boebert has poisoned the District 3 well? That is, has exposure to her antics made District 3 general voters aware of the extremism and amateurism of the Republicans? I think we can expect that the GOP nominee in District 3 will be far-right, since they previously nominated Boebert. Will the general voter in District 3 become more refined in their voting habits and end up not voting, or voting for the Democratic candidate, whoever that might be? Or will they revert to their historical pattern of favoring the Republican candidate by seven or so points in Colorado District 3?
That potential shift is, I’m sure, of great interest to political strategists and demographers.
