U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert vastly outraised her five Republican opponents in the 4th Congressional District in the two months leading up to the June 25 primary while spending heavily on TV and mailers to reach voters, campaign finance reports filed last Thursday reveal.
The $334,000 Boebert raised from April 1 to June 5 lagged the during the lead up to the primary in 2022. But the money was still enough to eclipse the $178,000 brought in by her five GOP competitors combined this year, according to .
The reports, the last ones before the primary, are another indication that Boebert is likely to dominate on June 25. Her Republican opponents have failed to gain financial and political traction in the race, and there is little time to reverse that trend with Coloradans already casting ballots.
鈥淒espite being the target of daily attacks from five other candidates, we have the resources to make a strong final push towards a hard-earned victory on June 25,鈥� Drew Sexton, Boebert鈥檚 campaign manager, said in a written statement.
The outcome of the 4th District primary will likely determine who wins in November, too, given how favorable the district is to the GOP.
Boebert currently represents the 3rd Congressional District, based on the western half of Colorado. She late last year to the 4th District, which is on the eastern side of the state, to improve her chances of securing another term in Congress after Republican U.S. that he was retiring.
The congresswoman won her 3rd District reelection bid in 2022 by just 546 votes.
Boebert significantly outspent her opponents on voter outreach from April 1 to June 5 at more than $632,000, including $390,000 on TV ads and mailers. The amount Boebert spent on ads alone was more than the $387,000 spent combined by the five other Republican candidates in the race.
And Boebert still had more than $681,000 in cash in her campaign鈥檚 bank account on June 5.
Here鈥檚 a look at how much money Boebert鈥檚 opponents raised and spent from April 1 to June 5:
- Deborah Flora, a conservative commentator, during the most recent reporting period 鈥� the highest amount among Boebert鈥檚 opponents 鈥� and spent $119,000, mostly on campaign consulting. She entered the final weeks before Election Day with $118,000 in her campaign鈥檚 account.
- State Rep. Mike Lynch and had $3,700 in cash left in his campaign鈥檚 account after spending $53,000 on TV advertising.
- Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg, a former state senator, and spent $176,000, mostly on advertising and consulting. He had $92,000 left in the bank.
- State Rep. Richard Holtorf and spent $37,000, mostly on digital advertising. The campaign had $71,000 in cash.
- Businessman Peter Yu and spent only $2,200, but had $272,000 in cash left in the final weeks of the primary campaign. That was more than enough to repay the $250,000 in personal funds he loaned to his campaign.
The 4th District鈥檚 population is centered in Douglas County and Loveland, but includes the entire Eastern Plains. It鈥檚 the safest Republican district of Colorado鈥檚 eight U.S. House seats. Buck won his last two elections by a whopping 23 percentage points.
Conservative talk radio host Deborah Flora at a debate on Feb. 12, 2024, in Douglas County for Republican candidates in the 4th Congressional District. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun) Three Democrats are vying to challenge the winner of the Republican primary in the 4th District. All of them are using Boebert鈥檚 candidacy 鈥� and the national Democratic frustration with the congresswoman 鈥� as a way to raise big sums despite their slim odds in November.
Here鈥檚 what they raised and spent from April 1 to June 5:
- Veteran Ike McCorkle, who lost to Buck in the last two cycles, raised nearly $465,000, spent $459,000 and had $163,000 in cash on June 5.
- Trisha Calvarese, a former speechwriter and Democratic congressional staffer, , spent about $80,000 and had $53,000 in cash. She owed $51,000 to consultants.
- Engineer and addiction recovery advocate John Padora , spent $62,000 and had $42,000 on June 5.
National Republican and Democratic groups are thus far ignoring the contest because it鈥檚 presumed that the GOP nominee will win in November.
Also on June 25, voters in the 4th District will cast ballots in a special election to determine who serves out the rest of Buck鈥檚 term 鈥� which ends in early January 鈥� after he .
Calvarese is running in that race against former Parker mayor Greg Lopez, a Republican, and two third-party candidates.
Lopez raised $40,000 and spent $26,000 from April 1 through June 5.
National partisan groups have totally ignored the special election in yet another indication that Republicans are expected to hold the seat.
