FRANKTOWN – Lauren Boebert was signing copies of her autobiography – “My American Life” – at a recent campaign stop when she paused to look at the family photo on the cover of the 2022 book.
In the posed picture the Republican congresswoman is standing with her husband, whom she’s since divorced, and the couple’s four sons, one of whom was recently arrested in a string of vehicle break-ins.
“I need a whole part two,” she said. “A lot has happened since I wrote this.”
Earlier in the day, a man introduced himself to her at a gun store and said he had recently moved to Colorado from North Carolina. “You’re a carpetbagger, too!” Boebert blurted out, even though he didn’t bring up that she had switched congressional districts.
When one of her Republican primary opponents boasted at a February debate about his degrees, Boebert interjected “I have a GED!” No one was asking.
Boebert rose to prominence by being offensive. But a rough personal and political year has left her increasingly insecure and leaning on her go-to defense mechanism: poking fun at herself before others can beat her to the punch.
Boebert has good reason to feel uneasy. She’s been at the center of a seemingly endless stretch of drama – much of it her own making. In addition to the divorce, she was recorded on surveillance video in September groping with a male companion in a Denver theater before they were ejected. Her move across Colorado in December in an attempt to protect her political future has been met with at least as much skepticism as celebration. In recent weeks, headlines about Boebert were dominated by her son’s arrest and the restraining order she took out against her ex.
Through it all, the fiery congresswoman at times seems to have lost some of the pep in her frequently high-heeled step. She’s not quite the rock star among Colorado Republicans that she used to be. The people who Boebert speak to in her new congressional district aren’t necessarily there to bask in her far-right celebrity. They’re there to be won over.
But there are also signs she’s getting more comfortable with her new personal and political reality.
During a February day on the campaign trail in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, Boebert – in her signature heels – shot an AR-15 rifle at a gun range east of Castle Rock. She promised to double down on Donald Trump’s policies – “inject them with some steroids” – if he wins and Republicans take control of Congress. She bowed her head with supporters in a basement as they prayed for her success after the congresswoman gave a stump speech railing against U.S. aid for Ukraine, joking about transgender people and celebrating her plan to bring legislation to “build the wall and deport them all.”
Boebert, who now lives in Windsor, sat down with The Sun for an extended interview on her 2024 reelection bid, how she approaches her doubters and her reasons for her boisterous behavior.
The following has been edited for clarity and length. The interview was conducted Feb. 23, which was before Trump endorsed Boebert and before her son Tyler’s arrest.
The Colorado Sun: How are you feeling about the race – the way it’s been going and what the trajectory is over the next few months?
Lauren Boebert: The trajectory is I will be the next congresswoman from Colorado’s 4th District. I’m looking forward to that. The race is going well. There are folks who have their horse in the race already. But the one-on-one conversations I have with people are very encouraging. There’s not a place that I go to where someone’s not thanking me for the work that I’m already doing and saying that they know that I’m going to keep doing it. Especially Windsor. I had no idea Windsor would be so welcoming, but they’re excited I chose their community to live in.
The Sun: You mentioned that you’re not everyone’s preferred candidate. Former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican who lives in the district and also used to hold the 4th District seat, endorsed one of your GOP primary opponents – former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg. Were you expecting that some of these folks would back you when you got into the race?
Boebert: I have never campaigned on Cory Gardner’s voting record. I didn’t have a banner to wave there. He saw the momentum after my 2020 primary and connected with me then. He was always very kind to me. But I don’t think (his endorsement of Sonnenberg) makes that big of a difference.
The Sun: But beyond Gardner, Sonnenberg has been endorsed by county commissioners and current and former state lawmakers. People know him in this district. He’s been around a long time. Some of the established folks in the 4th Congressional District are kind of turning their nose at your campaign.
Boebert: Naturally.
The Sun: Why naturally?
Boebert: The establishment always turns their nose at me. They always have, they always will. That’s fine. And I think a lot of that is because they know that I call the balls and strikes. It doesn’t matter what party you’re in, I want what’s right for the American people. You mentioned Sonnenberg – a lot of folks tout he’s a conservative, he says he’s a conservative. But he has a voting record. It’s not conservative.
Context:
Boebert frequently touts that she has a 100% “liberty score” – and an “A” rating – from the Conservative Review, which evaluates votes cast by members of Congress. The Colorado Liberty Republicans releases a similar liberty scorecard for state legislators based on their votes, and the congresswoman has used those scores to compare herself to her opponents. But the state scores are assessed differently, so a comparison is tough to make. In 2022, Sonnenberg and Reps. Mike Lynch and Richard Holtorf, three of Boebert’s opponents, received a “D” and two “F” grades respectively. The top legislative score that year, Sonnenberg’s last in the legislature, went to then-Rep. Patrick Neville, an uncompromising Republican, who received a 97.1% score. Then state-Rep. Dave Williams, who is now chair of the Colorado GOP, received a 95.3% score.
The Sun: I know there are a lot of voters in this district who like you. We just met a few of them. But reading stories about you in other news outlets – some 4th District voters have had some pretty harsh things to say about you. One called you a “lowlife.” Another said you need to “get some shit together.” How do you approach those people and what’s your message to them?
Boebert: I have never been afraid to answer questions when someone has concerns or brings something to my attention. I address it head on. I always have. My personal life has been an open book on the table. I don’t shy away from that. At some point, I’m going to start referencing people to other things that I’ve said because I don’t need to continue to have my family in the headlines. I’m running for public office. They aren’t. The reality is (voters) know where I stand. I have a stake in the ground on just about any issue they are going to bring to my attention. In the 3rd District, I was present and people know that. But here, in eastern Colorado, they read more about me than they see me. So I’m sure a lot of folks had a perception that I was going to treat this like a coronation and just walk in as the rightful winner of the election and they’re seeing how I actually operate, how I run my campaign. I am present. I have a very aggressive travel schedule. As a representative, you can’t effectively represent people without being present.
The Sun: So I guess along those lines, how do you represent the 3rd District when you’re living in the 4th? There’s plenty of criticism from your opponents on that.
Boebert: Sure. I mean, they gotta say something to stay relevant. I am still representing the 3rd District. I am still their congresswoman.
Context:
Boebert cited her Pueblo Jobs and CONVEY Acts, as well as the Colorado River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, as examples of her work for the 3rd District. Those measures that were introduced last year – before she moved into the 4th District. The Pueblo Jobs Act was incorporated into the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act and signed into law in December. The CONVEY Act, which would transfer a 31-acre parcel of federal land to Mesa County for economic development, passed the House in February. The Colorado River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, which aims to bolster private water rights on San Juan National Forest land surrounding the Dolores River, is still pending in the House.
The Sun: Are you traveling much to or in the 3rd District?
Boebert: I have been in the 3rd District every week.
The Sun: I hear you talk a lot on the campaign trail about why moving to the 4th District makes sense for you – for your family, for your political career. Why does it make sense for the people of the 4th District?
Boebert: It’s better for the conservative movement. I’m not saying that the conservative movement dies without me, but I am a strong voice in this movement and have been very effective in it. I don’t think that our movement is ready to lose that yet. I’m not going to allow that to happen. A lot of folks are campaigning and saying what they would do, could do, think about doing – I’m doing it.
Context:
Boebert is referring to her dim 2024 reelection prospects in the 3rd Congressional District, where she narrowly beat Democrat Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman in 2022. If she wins the Republican primary this year in the 4th District, which is far more favorable to Republicans, she is almost certain to win the general election in November.
The Sun: You’ve had two terms now in Congress. What political, policy, personal lessons have you learned?
Boebert: I want to say I’ve learned to not overschedule myself, but I haven’t. I always think that “after this stretch, I’m going to slow down.” There’s always something more. But, I mean, I think that’s what makes me effective, because I don’t slow down and I don’t retreat. I keep going. I keep pressing – and maybe to my own detriment sometimes personally.
The Sun: Are you committed to staying in the 4th District? And where do you see yourself in 10 years? Are you still in Congress? Are you running for governor or Senate?
Boebert: A decade’s a long time away.
The Sun: How about four years?
Boebert: I am staying in the 4th. I’m certainly not going to commit to what my congressional career looks like. I don’t know what that looks like. Right now, this is the election in front of me so that’s the one I’m running. I’m excited to finish raising my boys in Windsor and that’s what I intend to do.
The Sun: Do you have three 4th District-specific bills that you’d introduce if you were elected? Can you think of three off the top of your head?
Boebert: I think ports to plains is a huge thing. I would look to how the federal government can help with water storage projects given the vast amount of private land in the 4th District. I’m really proud of reforming the earmark process and getting a lot of the wasteful nonsense out of there and bringing it back to actual infrastructure – making sure these rural communities are represented and they’re getting something back for the tax dollars they pay in. But the casework is always something that goes overlooked. That really is the most important part of my job. The seniors, the veterans, the folks who are having emergency passport issues. They’re having issues with federal agencies – the IRS, whatever it may be – and they call my offices. Everyone wants to know what bill are you going to pass, what legislation are you going to introduce, what committee are you going to work on. But the casework is the true essence of a representative.
Context:
Boebert announced on social media Wednesday that she would vote against the federal omnibus spending bill in the House, in part because it “excludes nearly all conservative policy riders we fought for.” But that also means she’ll be voting against her earmark requests.
The Sun: I think the thing we hear about you from Republican voters is similar to what we hear about Donald Trump: we love the policies, but we just wish they would tone it down, whether it’s on social media or other places. What’s your message to voters about that? When I asked about the lessons you’ve learned, do you feel like you’re going to back off Twitter a little bit?
Boebert: When it comes to Twitter, when it comes to Fox News, you have some candidates who are counting the days ago they were on Fox News and letting you know. I don’t have to let people know. They watched it. They were there. But you have to get that message out and inform people about what’s going on. My Twitter and how loud I’ve been in certain areas has been effective. Closed mouths don’t get fed and in D.C. nothing happens without force.
The Sun: So you feel like the bully pulpit is maybe sometimes more effective than introducing bills?
Boebert: Absolutely. It’s difficult to actually get something signed into law. Sometimes that’s a good thing. We don’t want everything that’s introduced signed into law. But it’s not the only way to be effective. Folks can go after my personal life. I haven’t lived a perfect life. I’m still growing. I’m raising my boys. I’m a single mom now. They want to attack me for that? OK. Is it affecting the kitchen table issues? Is that what folks are lying in bed at night worried about? Are they worried about their kids accidentally consuming fentanyl or how are they going to pay their bills or how are they going to afford gas to get to work? Voters know that those are the issues that I am working on.
