Lauren Boebert's campaign spent almost $2 million in 2023 as the Republican Congresswoman fights to keep a seat ahead of the next election in the House of Representatives.
According to the latest filing by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Lauren Boebert for Congress, a principal campaign committee, spent $1,772,343.81 from January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023.
Lauren Boebert arrives to a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The Colorado Republican spent close to $2 million in 2023, new filings show. Lauren Boebert arrives to a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The Colorado Republican spent close to $2 million in 2023, new filings show. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesIn December 2023, Boebert, a Trump supporter, announced she intended to relocate from Colorado's third congressional district to the fourth in the upcoming 2024 elections. She has represented the third district since 2021, but in 2022, she won her second term by just 546 votes to Democratic challenger Adam Frisch, who is running again in 2024.
The fourth district is currently represented by Republican Ken Buck, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2015. In November, he said he would not seek re-election, citing Republicans' lying about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump. It's considered a safer Republican seat.
According to an analysis of FEC filing data, Boebert's campaign spent $288,357.10 on various fundraising activities from January to September 2023.
In comparison, Anna Stout, who is running in the Democratic primary to be the party's Colorado's third Congressional district candidate, spent $60,052.82 in the same period.
Stout is running against Frisch, who actually outspent Boebert in 2023, at $3,802,536.72. In the period the FEC data covers, Boebert campaigned in this district, which might show the importance of campaign spending in what was shaping up to be another close race, before she announced she was relocating.
Boebert's campaign committee was formed in 2019, two years before the Colorado congresswoman won her first term. From November 20, 2019, to December 31, 2020, the campaign raised $2,989,469.89 and spent $2,632,675.56, with $135,607.25 of the sum spent on fundraising.
From January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, the campaign raised $7,854,668.58 and spent $7,440,187.29. It spent $532,119.40 on fundraising activities.
At the start of her campaign, the committee's total cash on hand was $356,794.33 but this has since increased to $1,434,675.37.
Newsweek contacted representatives for Boebert to comment on this story.
Thomas J. Whalen, an Associate Professor of Social Science at Boston University said in response to the latest filing: "I guess you could say the extra funds are needed for traveling expenses as she packing up for the big move to a new congressional district.
"Whether her new constituents will buy that, or even want her to be their representative to Congress remains to be seen. File under 'Send in the Clowns.'"
Since announcing she will run in a different district, Boebert has been hit by criticism.
Republican Colorado state representative Richard Holtorf, who is also running In Colorarado's fourth district said: "Seat shopping isn't something the voters look kindly upon. If you can't win in your home, you can't win here."
Sandra Hagen Solin, a Colorado-based Republican strategist who has long worked with the congresswoman, called the move "both savvy and desperate."
"Her desire to maintain some semblance of power and enjoyment of a prominent media profile motivated her to seek an alternative path in the face of a very likely defeat in CD3," Solin told The Denver Post.
But Boebert, in a video posted on social media, said her decision was "the right decision for those who support our conservative movement."
I wanted to let you, my constituents and supporters, hear directly from me about my plans for the 2024 election cycle and the importance of maintaining a conservative voice for Colorado in Congress as well as keeping our Republican House majority.
I cannot put into words how… pic.twitter.com/YY5PHS1EJs
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) December 28, 2023"It is the right decision for me personally, and it is the right decision for those who support our conservative movement. This is the right decision for Colorado, for us," Boebert said in the video. "I will not allow dark money that is directed at destroying me personally to steal this seat. It's not fair to the 3rd District and the conservatives there who have fought so hard for our victories...The Aspen donors, George Soros, and Hollywood actors that are trying to buy this seat, well they can go pound sand."
She also said her "personal life" was one of the main reasons she was switching districts.
"The fresh start is really in regards to my personal life. There's definitely been some changes," the congresswoman told The Durango Herald, referring to her divorce in May 2023, in an interview published last week.
Boebert was the subject of controversy last September when the congresswoman and a male partner were asked to leave a performance of the musical Beetlejuice in Denver after taking unauthorized photos and vaping. Surveillance footage later emerged that appeared to show Boebert and the unnamed man groping each other during the performance. She issued an apology for her behavior.
Meanwhile, Boebert is facing a police investigation after a confrontation with her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, according to local law enforcement. Jayson Boebert claimed his ex-wife punched him, but while the congresswoman confirmed a confrontation she denied hitting him.
Speaking about her possible re-election, Richard Parker, a Harvard professor, told Newsweek: "Boebert's election chances in the 4th depend entirely on how heavily conservatives who like their politicians' performative turn out. The GOP primary is March 5 and there are seven other candidates in the race, including the CO House minority leader (who's probably best-placed to knock her off). A Democrat can't win the seat, but her competitors could cut into each other's vote enough to let her slip through with 20-25 percent in March."
Update, 01/11/24, 7:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqWYrqqVo3qju8SbnKusXZiurrzAop6nZaOlsq%2BwyKeeZpufo7SzsdKsZJynnKS%2ForDOZmhxbWhmfXQ%3D