Democrat Adam Frisch leads gun-toting pro-MAGA Republican Lauren Boebert by fewer than 100 votes

Rep. Lauren Boebert was trailing her Democratic opponent by just dozens of votes late Wednesday as returns continued to come in for her unexpectedly close race.

Boebert, an ardent Trump loyalist who owns a gun-themed bar in Colorado, was trailing Democrat Adam Frisch by just 73 votes with 95 per cent vote in, according to returns Wednesday evening.

That had the two tied at 50-50, with dueling interpretations of the outstanding vote. Much of the vote comes from Democratic-leaning counties, local affiliate 9NEWS reported, however same-day votes in Pueblo counted were expected to boost Boebert – leaving the likely winner up to speculation.

The defeat of the high-profile lawmaker, who is a lightning rod in Congress, would have been one of the biggest shocks out of Tuesday’s elections.

The race put Boebert, one of the most high-profile and confrontational House conservatives,  against a businessman and former city councilman from liberal Aspen.

Aardent Trump loyalist Lauren Boebert (pictured) is facing a nail-biting race to keep her seat in the House as it has become increasingly clear her Democratic opponent made unexpected gains

Aardent Trump loyalist Lauren Boebert (pictured) is facing a nail-biting race to keep her seat in the House as it has become increasingly clear her Democratic opponent made unexpected gains

Frisch and Boebert were tied at 50-50 late Wednesday

Frisch and Boebert were tied at 50-50 late Wednesday

At one point Frisch's lead was down to 73 votes

At one point Frisch’s lead was down to 73 votes

The unexpectedly tight race comes as Democrats try to keep control or hope to see the House GOP take over with only a slim margin

The unexpectedly tight race comes as Democrats try to keep control or hope to see the House GOP take over with only a slim margin

Frisch pleaded with party donors and influencers to contribute to his uphill race during the campaign, even as it failed to register in computer polling sites. Frisch accused Boebert of fueling ‘angertainment’ and pledged a more centered style. 

‘I spent 10 months trying to convince donors and journalists and political strategists everywhere that there was a path forward,’ Frisch said Wednesday.

‘And people started to believe it a little bit a month ago, and people believed that a lot four hours ago.’ To Frisch, it wasn’t a surprise.

 ‘I have this calm belief that that 40% of the Republican Party wants their party back.,’ he told the AP.

‘We will have this victory,’ Boebert declared at her own election night event. 

As for the closeness of the race, ‘It is a lesson to everybody that every single vote matters,’ he told MSNBC.

A Donald Trump loyalist, Boebert has established herself as a national lightning rod in her first term.

She has slammed President Biden’s approach to inflation, crime, dependency on foreign oil, and border policy.

Boebert owns a gun-themed bar in Colorado

Boebert owns a gun-themed bar in Colorado

Boebert backed Donald Trump's claims of election fraud, has blasted mask mandates, and has repeatedly gone after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Boebert backed Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud, has blasted mask mandates, and has repeatedly gone after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional District for Colorado Adam Frisch was hopeful he could sway voters

Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional District for Colorado Adam Frisch was hopeful he could sway voters

Her midterm election prospects in Colorado’s mostly rural 3rd Congressional District seemed boosted by redistricting that made the district more Republican. 

The race was still too close to call late Wednesday.

At a campaign party Tuesday night in a restaurant bar in Grand Junction, Boebert offered an extended prayer to her supporters. 

She said: ‘We will have this victory.’

Frisch spent the evening with supporters in Aspen. 

Jayson Boebert puts his arms around his wife, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, as they pray during an Election night party in Grand Junction, Colorado on Tuesday, November 8

Jayson Boebert puts his arms around his wife, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, as they pray during an Election night party in Grand Junction, Colorado on Tuesday, November 8

 

Frisch, a conservative Democrat, contends Boebert has sacrificed the district’s interests, focusing instead on talk-show appearances and social media to accuse Biden and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of seeking to destroy the soul of the nation. 

Frisch vowed, if elected, to join a bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress, a sharp turn from Boebert’s repudiation of across-the-aisle consensus-building.

Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo were in another tight race in Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District, stretching north from Denver to Greeley. 

The race also was being watched nationally as the GOP sought to flip control of Congress.

Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County commissioner, pledges to get tough on crime, unleash the district’s oil and gas industry, and rein in government spending. She once supported a blanket ban on abortion but now says she’d respect exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., speaks with a television reporter during an election night party yesterday

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., speaks with a television reporter during an election night party yesterday

Caraveo is a pediatrician and defender of abortion rights who voted for police accountability after the George Floyd protests. 

Caraveo hopes her cultural lineage as the child of Mexican immigrants will attract support in a swing district where Latinos comprise nearly 40 percent of voters.

In other races in Colorado, Democratic state Sen. Brittany Pettersen defeated Republican Erik Aadland, an oil and gas industry veteran, in suburban Denver’s 7th District to replace eight-term Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter. 

Aadland received backlash after a video leaked of him questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck in eastern Colorado and eight-term Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn in El Paso County won re-election, as did Democratic Reps. Diana Degette, Jason Crow, and Joe Neguse.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, left, and her husband Jayson Boebert campaign during an Election Day rally in Grand Junction yesterday

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, left, and her husband Jayson Boebert campaign during an Election Day rally in Grand Junction yesterday

About 7 in 10 voters in Colorado say things in the country are heading in the wrong direction, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 2,700 voters in the state.

The poll also shows voters overwhelmingly disapprove of economic conditions in the US. About three-quarters say the state of the economy is either not so good or poor, compared with about a quarter who call it excellent or good. About a third say their family is falling behind financially.

The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision on abortion, also played a role in most voters’ decisions, with about 8 in 10 calling it a factor in how they cast their ballot. About a quarter call it the single most important factor in their vote.

Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were high on voters’ minds in the midterm elections, according to the poll. More than 6 in 10 say Biden was a factor in their vote, and a similar proportion says so of Trump.

source: dailymail.co.uk