Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) finished in 5th place out of 10 candidates in a straw poll following Thursday night’s Republican congressional primary debate for the state’s 4th District.
Boebert received 12 of 117 votes cast after the 90-minute debate, placing behind Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, who received 22 votes; former Colorado House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, with 20 votes; Douglas County filmmaker Deborah Flora, with 18 votes; and House Minority Whip Richard Holtorf, with 17 votes.
“I won that debate,” Holtorf told the Washington Examiner. “Pure votes, pure objective votes. I won this raffle, hands down. I am a prominent candidate, I am a serious candidate, and I am the most qualified candidate. I think the field saw that.”
The state representative explained the voting process involved what he called “stack[ing] the ballot,” in which certain candidates brought family, friends, and staff to the ticketed event to cast their votes for the one who invited them.
Holtorf said he didn’t even have his own ballot to cast, and if he had cast his ballot for himself, he would have been tied for third — and had he invited a few family members like other candidates, he could have matched the 22 votes that led the field.
“So watch out, Colorado, because here I come, Holtorf for Congress. Hang on to your hat because this cowboy is riding in hard and fast,” he told the Washington Examiner.
“Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is focused on earning the support of all 4th District voters,” Boebert’s campaign manager, Drew Sexton, told the Washington Examiner. “A straw poll of 10 candidates and their supporters that took place in the 8th District where ticket sales closed days after she announced is of no concern and doesn’t provide a realistic snapshot of the district.”
Sexton downplayed the reliability of straw polls and shared analysis posted on X from Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Aaron Paul, who attended the debate and called the sample “very unscientific.”
“I wouldn’t read too much into the straw poll,” Paul explained. He said the polling method is “notoriously unreliable” because “if the sample isn’t random and exactly representative of the electorate, the results are meaningless.”
“I was excited to win the straw poll as it was encouraging that others find integrity and honesty important in their candidate,” Sonnenberg told the Washington Examiner. “It appears the voters in the 4th want someone who can solve problems.”
“The most humbling moment of the debate was not necessarily winning the straw poll but having four of my opponents say they would support me if they weren’t running,” he said. “I have a record of proven conservative leadership for our community from cutting taxes to fighting against liberal illegal immigration policies. I will deliver that same leadership in Congress.”
Flora told the Washington Examiner, “Our conservative candidates may share many of the same positions, but it’s clear CD-4 voters want a new direction and a fresh approach with bold solutions instead of business as usual.”
“They want a representative who will carry their values and serve with integrity at home and in Congress and I’ve committed to being that Congresswoman, who our voters can be proud of,” she continued.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) responded to the straw poll, claiming Boebert “should be very concerned” about the results. “I think she’s got to earn those people’s support,” Greene said.
“I think that’s a serious primary, and it seems like there’s some good candidates in there,” Greene said. “We’ll see what’s happening with the polling and the direction it’s going in.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) mocked Boebert on X after the tally came in, posting, “I thought it would only be fitting to send ‘thoughts & prayers’ to my colleague, Lauren Boebert. It’s my understanding that she placed 5th in her first straw poll of the election cycle.”
“Now how many of y’all think BoBo gonna try to convince us that polls don’t matter … of course unless they are trash for Biden & great for Trump!” she continued.
Only two-thirds of eligible debate attendees chose to cast a vote in the poll, to the dismay of debate organizer Tammy Klein, who told Colorado Politics, “It’s very concerning that even when you place a ballot in their hand, they still walk away and leave it on the table.”
“That relates to why voter turnout is so low in Colorado — so many leave their ballots on their counter,” Klein said. “In all honesty, I don’t think the candidates had time to rally all their supporters to buy tickets, especially with as many candidates as there were.”
Boebert is running in Colorado’s 4th District despite representing the state’s 3rd District. She has represented Colorado’s 3rd District since 2021.
The Republican congresswoman was embroiled in controversy in 2023 preceding her decision to switch districts, including the announcement of her teenage son expecting a baby, an ugly public divorce, being kicked out of a musical for indecent behavior, and several feuds with Greene.
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Her team told the Independent that the drama with her now ex-husband “that keeps escalating” is “another reason I’m moving” from Colorado’s 3rd District.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Lynch for comment.
