Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert is switching over to a more conservative congressional district.She announced the bombshell move Wednesday, saying she hopes her move can keep the seat Republican.She was also facing an expensive reelection campaign.
Rep. Lauren Boebert is switching congressional districts at the end of a year that included a public scandal and political outspending.
The GOP politician said she would be moving over to the other side of the state, from Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District to the 4th Congressional District — a more conservative part of the state where Rep. Ken Buck is retiring, The Colorado Sun reported.
The move comes a day after Business Insider reported that the Colorado incumbent’s opponent, Democrat Adam Frisch, has raised over $7.7 million, per the Federal Election Commission.
Boebert is facing competition from within the GOP as well. Republican attorney Jeff Hurd will be challenging Boebert in the primaries. Hurd, whose campaign launched in August, has raised over $412,000 in the third quarter of this year, according to the FEC.
Though she didn’t mention the fundraising challenge in her announcement, Boebert has raised over $2.4 million for her campaign this cycle, per the FEC.
“I did not arrive at this decision easily,” Boebert said in a Facebook video on Wednesday. “A lot of prayer, a lot of tough conversations, and a lot of perspective convinced me that this is the best way I can continue to fight for Colorado, for the conservative movement, and for my children’s future.”
Boebert also implied that the move would help the GOP cause in the district.
“I will not allow dark money that is directed at destroying me personally to steal this seat,” she also said. “It’s not fair to the 3rd District and the conservatives there who have fought so hard for our victories.”
Boebert’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
It has been a tumultuous year for Boebert. In May, Boebert filed for divorce from her husband of nearly two decades.
“I’ve always been faithful in my marriage, and I believe strongly in marriage, which makes this announcement that much more difficult,” Boebert said in a statement to The Colorado Sun in May.
Boebert, whose divorce was finalized in October, appeared to jump back into the dating game soon after. In September, on a security video at a Denver theater, she was shown on a date watching a musical performance of “Beetlejuice.”
The date didn’t end well.
The video appeared to show Boebert vaping in her seat, as well as her date fondling her during the performance.
The couple was eventually escorted out of the theater. Boebert’s campaign manager denied she had vaped during the performance.
But Boebert hopes switching congressional districts will mark a change in her fortunes.
“Personally, this announcement is a fresh start following a pretty difficult year for me and my family,” Boebert said in her Facebook video.