Boebert wins delegate vote as Colorado Republicans gather for assembly
(Colorado Newsline) U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert nabbed the top spot on the Republican primary ballot for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District race at a GOP nominating assembly in Pueblo on Friday.
Boebert won 41 percent of the delegate vote, according to multiple new outlets, and was the only candidate who passed the threshold required to earn a spot on the ballot through the assembly process.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Silt speaks Sept. 10, 2022, during the Club 20 Western Colorado Candidate Debates at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. William Woody for Colorado Newsline
Republican delegates met at the Pueblo Convention Center Friday to decide which candidates, in addition to candidates who earn nominations by collecting petition signatures, will appear on the primary ballot in multiple races. Republican nominations for several congressional races — such as in the 5th, 6th and 8th districts — occurred earlier this month.
Candidates hoping to see their names on the June 25 primary ballot have two options. They can win the support of at least 30 percent of the votes cast through their party’s assembly or collect enough valid signatures to petition for their names to appear on the ballot. They may also do both — collect petition signatures and campaign for delegate votes. In that case, they need to win at least 10 percent of the votes cast during an assembly.
Assembly winners earn top-line name placement on primary ballots.
The 4th District had nine Republicans bidding for a spot on the ballot after former U.S. Representative Ken Buck announced he wouldn’t seek reelection. He later resigned before the end of his term. The announcement of his retirement brought a flood of Republican hopefuls to the race, including Boebert, who ditched the 3rd Congressional District, which she currently represents, in favor of the 4th’s more Republican-friendly odds.
Boebert’s win kept former state Senator Ted Havey from collecting enough votes to make the ballot, and his congressional bid is over.
Deborah Flora of Douglas County will also appear on the 4th District primary ballot since she qualified by turning in enough valid signatures. To date, Flora and Boebert are the only candidates to qualify by petition, according to the Colorado secretary of state’s office. Flora chose not to campaign for delegate support during Friday’s assembly.
Former state Senator Jerry Sonnenberg and state Representative Richard Holtorf of Akron both failed to achieve 30 percent of the 4th District delegate vote. However, both are waiting to hear if they have enough valid signatures to make the primary ballot, as are Republican state Representative Mike Lynch and several other 4th District candidates.
3rd Congressional District
Boebert’s win came during a two-day GOP event in Pueblo that also features the Colorado Republican state assembly Saturday. Friday activities included nominating contests for state House and Senate, judicial district and several other congressional races.
In the 3rd District assembly, State Board of Education member Stephen Varela and former state Representative Ron Hanks both made the primary ballot. Varela got 33 percent of the delegate vote and Hanks got 32 percent. Republican Jeff Hurd, who did not compete in the assembly, has filed a petition to appear on the ballot but is waiting to hear on its approval.
El Paso County Republican assembly delegates overwhelmingly chose 5th Congressional District hopeful Dave Williams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, during their March 23 meeting in Colorado Springs, according to Colorado Politics. He will face Jeff Crank, a conservative podcaster and executive at Americans for Prosperity, who qualified by petition in March. State Senator Bob Gardner of Colorado Springs is waiting to hear if his petition signatures met the requirements to earn a spot on the ticket.
Delegates from the 6th Congressional District, which encompasses much of the eastern part of the Denver metro area, held their caucus April 1. The group unanimously selected John Fabbricatore to face Democratic incumbent Jason Crow in November, according to Colorado Public Radio.
Republican delegates representing Colorado’s newest congressional district, the 8th, which includes sections of Adams, Larimer, and Weld counties, chose state house Representative Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton and Janek Joshi, a former state representative from Colorado Springs, according to Colorado Politics. Evans earned 63 percent of the delegate vote, while Joshi just qualified with 30.4 percent.
A special election to fill Buck’s former congressional seat through the end of the year is scheduled for the same day as the primary election. Special Democratic and Republican nominating conventions selected Democrat Trisha Calvarese to face Republican Greg Lopez in that election.
Colorado Democratic congressional candidates in every district except the 5th will compete in assemblies April 11. Democratic candidates in the 5th District will participate in an assembly Saturday.
The Republican party has until April 17 to submit the official paperwork for assembly results to Colorado’s secretary of state.
Newsline’s Quentin Young contributed to this report.
Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and Twitter.
