Cook Political Report has revised the rating for Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) House district race from “lean Republican” to “toss-up,” according to their recent analysis. This shift comes on the heels of recent campaign finance disclosures, revealing a remarkable fundraising surge by Boebert’s Democratic challenger, former Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch.
In the 2022 election, Boebert narrowly won against Frisch by a margin of just 546 votes, triggering an automatic recount, which Frisch eventually conceded before completion. During the second quarter of the current campaign, Frisch impressively raised $2.6 million, surpassing Boebert’s roughly $818,000. Notably, this fundraising figure broke the record for the largest quarterly fundraising by a U.S. House challenger in the year preceding an election, excluding special elections and self-funded campaigns.
In the first quarter, Frisch also outraised Boebert, having raised $1.7 million compared to Boebert’s $764,000. Wasserman, the Cook Political Report editor, highlighted that Boebert has made no apparent effort to moderate her positions since the close 2022 race, whereas Frisch positions himself as a moderate alternative to the Trump ally.
David Wasserman, editor of the Cook Political Report, noted that the change in the district’s rating reflects Boebert’s lack of attempts to moderate her stances, contrasting with Frisch’s positioning as a moderate alternative to Boebert’s close association with former President Donald Trump.
“Not only has Boebert avoided taking any steps to moderate her image since coming within 546 votes of losing to former Aspen Councilman Adam Frisch in 2022, Frisch outraised her by a massive $2.6 million to $810,000 in the second quarter thanks to an avalanche of small-dollar donations,” wrote Wasserman in his analysis.
He added that Boebert’s recent move to block the annual defense reauthorization bill over social wedge issues is likely to give Frisch an advantageous edge in the race.
However, despite Frisch’s fundraising success, Wasserman cautioned that the road ahead won’t be easy for the Democratic contender. National Republican groups are expected to invest heavily in efforts to portray him as a “limousine liberal” out of touch with the interests of the Western Slope constituency.
The Cook Political Report also updated ratings for four other races: Rep. Josh Harder’s (D-Calif.) district, previously rated “solid Democrat,” is now categorized as “likely Democrat,” while Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s (D-Texas) district shifted from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.” On the Republican side, Rep. Ken Calvert’s (R-Calif.) district moved from “lean Republican” to “toss-up,” and Rep. Greg Landsman’s (D-Ohio) district shifted from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat.”