The Colorado primary election is heating up, and Democrate Trisha Calvarese is gaining ground. The race will impact the partisan balance of the U.S. House in 2025. On December 27, 2023, Colorado’s 3rd District incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert announced she was ending her re-election bid and would run in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District instead. The former representative, Republican Ken Buck, announced his retirement in March. Now, in one of the reddest districts in Colorado, a little blue seems to be trickling through.
A new poll done by Keating Research suggests that Democratic Congressional Candidate Trisha Calvarese has the upper hand against Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. Keating Research is a Colorado pollster, the only one to accurately predict the close race between Boebert and Frisch in the 2022 elections. Keating’s latest survey was conducted via live telephone interviews with 500 likely voters in April. The outcome originally found Boebert ahead of Calvarese 49% to 27%, with 12% undecided. When voters heard statements from each candidate, however, the numbers shifted to place Calvarese ahead 47% to 28%, with 13% undecided.
Despite an 18-point Republican registration advantage, Calvarese is holding her ground. She is especially finding support in unaffiliated voters. “While Lauren Boebert may grab headlines with her antics and have a lot of followers on social media, voters in the 4th Congressional District are absolutely open to an alternative, and Democrat Trisha Calvarese’s story put up against Boebert’s long list of embarrassing public moments and extreme ideological views puts this traditionally Republican district firmly in competitive territory,” says Chris Keating. Boerbert has been viewed unfavorably by a near majority of voters, young and old alike. These concerns about Boebert are turning the race in Calvarese’s favor.
Boebert, endorsed by President Trump and Mike Johnson, supports “America First’ policies. She has been criticized for running in a different congressional district, although she claims to move districts due to personal reasons. Among other complaints, many people found her vote against a bill providing healthcare for veterans unsavory. Such things as supporting bills focused on increased energy production, backing laws banning abortions without exceptions, and her opposition to the Bureau of Land Management has not been received well.
“It’s no surprise that once people hear my story and are reminded of what Congresswoman Boebert says and does that we take this reliably Republican district into toss-up territory, and win,” says Trisha Calvarese. “We’re working hard every day to raise the resources necessary to tell every voter, Republican, Democrat or Independent how Congresswoman Boebert has failed her current district, and why voters should reject her cynical attempt to carpetbag into our district and elect a hometown candidate instead.” Ballots go out to voters during the first full week of June and are due back to county clerks by 7 p.m. on June 25.
Photo courtesy of Trisha Calvarese
