During a sympathetic exchange at a debate Thursday, nine Republican candidates hoping to represent an eastern Colorado congressional district largely said that voters should look at a candidate’s record and positions instead of their legal transgressions.
This provided an opening for some candidates to address past arrests. State Rep. Mike Lynch (R-Wellington), who this week resigned from his position as Colorado’s GOP House Leader after it was reported for the first time that he’d been caught driving under the influence, said voters understand that people like him “are human and make mistakes.”
But when she spoke about her arrest, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) misled the audience, saying, “My arrest was just a simple traffic violation that was unpaid.”
In fact, Boebert has been arrested multiple times and not for unpaid tickets.
For example, in 2016 Boebert rolled her truck on a rural road near Rifle. After her accident, she was given a ticket with a date for a mandatory hearing, which she skipped without informing the court. Then she ignored the court’s pleas to schedule a new hearing or possibly even settle the matter simply by “contacting the court.”
After four months of waiting, the Garfield County court finally arrested Boebert in February of 2017, and she landed briefly in jail, where she was fingerprinted and a mugshot was taken. After a court appearance, she paid a $100 fine, and the matter was settled.
In another example, she was arrested in 2015 at the Country Jam music festival in Grand Junction after she encouraged underage drinkers, detained by police, to flee custody. Police reports describe Boebert this way: “Lauren continued yelling and causing the underage drinkers to become unruly.”
(Read the entire text of the police report here.)
Boebert failed to appear for two separate hearings following her disorderly conduct arrest. The Mesa County court issued a warrant for her arrest in the case after she didn’t show up.
Boebert, Lynch, and the other candidates are competing for the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who’s leaving office at the end of his current term. A June 25 primary election will determine which Republican will have the chance to take on U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) in November’s general election.
In addition to Boebert and Lynch, the debate included Deborah Flora, a right-wing KNUS radio host who ran for U.S. Senate in 2022; Ted Harvey, who served as a state lawmaker and ran a pro-Trump PAC in 2020; state Rep. Richard Holtorf (R-Akron); Trent Leisy, a Weld County Council member and businessman who sells shirts promoting Trump as the “Sexiest Man Alive;” Chris Phelen, a former staffer for retiring U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO); Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling), who failed as a state lawmaker to disclose his property holdings in the district; and businessman Peter Yu.
Other Republicans floated as possible candidates include Gino Campana, who ran for U.S. Senate, and former State Sen. Rob Woodward.
RELATED: “I Even Got a Pretty Mugshot Out of It,” Says Boebert, Mocking Her Arrest
The debate took place at the Ft. Lupton Recreation Center and was hosted by the Republican Women of Weld and The Lincoln Club of Colorado. It was sponsored by Wells Ranch & 4x Industrial.
Moderators were George Brauchler, a KNUS radio show host, and Ernest Luning of Colorado Politics.
