U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) GOP primary challenger, Marina Zimmerman, said voters are “exhausted by [Boebert’s] lies, deceit and hatefulness” after a Thanksgiving week of slurs and scandal.
Boebert last week suggested a Muslim member of Congress is a suicide bomber, and also made headlines for finally weighing in on the messy “Mesa-gate” election scandal. She also mocked the fatal shooting on the set of an Alec Baldwin film, drawing criticism (“bottom of the barrel“) from a Colorado actor in the movie.
Boebert issued an uncharacteristic apology for her anti-Muslim remarks, which were made at a campaign event in Purblo, but Zimmerman flagged similar comments by Boebert at a GOP event weeks ago, and Boebert recently used the religious slur “jihad squad” aimed at the same member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
“I believe CD3 has had enough of the extremist QAnon behavior and will vote Boebert out of office,” Zimmerman said, referring to a false, dangerous conspiracy theory. “The district is exhausted by lies, deceit, and hatefulness. The people of CD3 are ready for their elected official to work to serve their needs. CD3 and the United States are ready for a breath of fresh air.”
Boebert’s House spokesman and campaign did not respond to emails requesting comment on Zimmerman’s criticism. Boebert once said she hopes QAnon is real, and she followed QAnon channels on YouTube. But she has since backed away from the statement and deleted her Youtube account.
Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District (CD3) includes most of the state’s Western Slope. Its two largest cities are Pueblo and Grand Junction – a GOP stronghold in Mesa County.
That’s where clerk and recorder Tina Peters is being investigated by the FBI and the district attorney’s office for an election systems data breach allegedly assisted by former Boebert campaign manager Sherronna Bishop, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and alleged QAnon mastermind Ron Watkins.
“Lauren Boebert, Sherronna Bishop and Tina Peters have known each other for quite some time,” Zimmerman said. “At some point, there had to be a meeting of the minds about what they were willing to do to gain power, money and position. As evidenced, they decided lying and deceitfulness, and in my opinion, treason was acceptable, even if it sacrificed the health and well-being of Colorado constituents, and even the lives of their fellow Americans.”
Boebert in 2020 won in Grand Junction and surrounding Mesa County by a margin of 62% to 34.2% over her Democratic challenger Diane Mitsch Bush. Despite that, Boebert has been an outspoken proponent of unproven 2020 election fraud conspiracies.
On Jan. 6, Boebert voted against certifying Electoral College votes from swing states in President Joe Biden’s landslide victory over former President Donald Trump, promoting the big lie that the election was stolen and tweeting “Today is 1776” just before the capitol was violently stormed by Trump backers.
“In my opinion, Lauren Boebert was chosen to run for Congress specifically because it would be easy to exploit her unearned success,” Zimmerman said. “What they seem to have neglected to realize is, given Boebert’s unmerited success and the group’s questionable character is just how far she would be willing to go to hang on to that undeserved position. Therefore, Boebert’s disloyalty should not have been a surprise to any of her friends or the Trump base.”
Zimmerman went on say she thinks the June 28 primary election will likely decide the 2022 race since CD3 now leans even more Republican after redistricting that drew Democratic frontrunner Kerry Donovan out of the district.
“I believe it was the right decision for Kerry Donovan to withdraw from the congressional race,” Zimmerman said. “I know it had to be a tough decision, but the new map had her drawn out of CD3, and while it is permissible to live outside of the district, it is frowned upon by the constituents. CD3 is now an R+9 District, and my prediction is that the winner in the Republican primary will most likely determine the race.”
In the district’s other major population center, Pueblo County, Boebert lost to Mitsch Bush by a margin of 48.1% to 47.9% in 2020.
Pueblo County Republican chairman Robert Leverington, according to KRDO TV in Colorado Springs, supports Boebert in her war of words with Omar, who is asking House leadership to sanction Boebert.
“I think that Congresswoman Boebert probably expressed the sentiment of many Americans,” Leverington said. “This Congresswoman Omar has been poking her finger in the eyes of many Americans over the last couple of years, and we’re sick of it.”
Boebert tweeted this on Friday: “I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Rep. Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction.”
