By Dick Wadhams | SOURCE: GAZETTE
After three devastating elections that rendered Colorado Republicans irrelevant throughout state government, three congressional primaries can begin to turn that tide — or dig the hole even deeper in 2024.
All three congressional seats held by Republicans will have competitive primaries after two longtime incumbents, U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn of El Paso County and Ken Buck of Weld County, announced they will not seek reelection. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert will attempt to make an unprecedented switch from the 3rd Congressional District to the 4th Congressional District.
The 5th CD and 4th CD are strongly Republican and the eventual nominees are virtually assured to win the general elections. The 3rd CD has a nine-point Republican performance advantage but Boebert only won by 564 votes in 2022 against a Democrat who was disowned by state and national Democratic leaders. Facing probable defeat in the general election even if she survived a strong primary challenger in 2024, Boebert will now run in the more heavily Republican 4th CD to try to save her tattered political career.