Lauren Bobert, the Republican incumbent for Colorado, currently leads Democrat Adam Fries by about 1,000 votes as of Thursday afternoon, with 98 percent of polls reporting — an upset in a historically Republican district. A recount is automatic in the state if the vote margin is 0.5 percent or less of the incumbent’s total votes, or about 800 votes. To Canadians, Bobert may be more familiar with calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a “tyrant” and saying Canada should be “liberated” along with Ukraine in February 2022 as the “Freedom Deal” protests began in Ottawa. Her rise came after a video of her confronting Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke in Aurora, Colo., over gun restrictions went viral. Story continues below ad She has since identified herself as a staunch Trump supporter and was one of 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election in January 2021, shortly after the January 6 breach of the US Capitol. Jayson Boebert hugs his wife, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, as they pray during a campaign rally in Grand Junction, Colo., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP Read more: Biden calls US midterm results ‘good day’ for democracy, admits voters are ‘disappointed’ read more
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University of Toronto political science professor Renan Levine told Global News that Bobert is in the same league as Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia when it comes to representing the most extreme, conspiratorial elements of the Republican Party. Current trend
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A key difference, he said, is that Green won her re-election handily over her Democratic challenger, while Bobert is in an upset with hers, despite the fact that the Colorado Democrat has far less funding than Green’s challenger. Story continues below ad Fries served on the Aspen City Council from 2011 to 2019 and has identified himself as a moderate Democrat interested in resource mining in the state. “There are some cracks in the MAGA wall,” Levine said. While it could be several more days before the final winner in the close race is clear, Levine said the narrow margin of victory combined with the losses of Trump-backed candidates in the midterm elections, including Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania to John Fetterman or Herschel Walker following in Georgia, shows that Trump’s endorsement is not the stamp of approval it might seem. Some voters, he added, are looking for more political experience. While Trump still wields enormous influence in the Republican Party, the 5 percent or so within the party who vote against his nominees could make a difference in the outcome, Levine said. “Not all Republican die-hards are MAGA at this point,” he added. 2:54 US early midterm results: Republican ‘red wave’ recedes To Rob Preuhs, professor and chair of the political science department at Metropolitan State University in Denver, the tight race shows voters are tired of Trump-style rhetoric and governing via social media rather than “rolling up his sleeves to work in Congress.” . Story continues below ad “It’s a lot tighter than anyone expected,” he said. While Bobert can still sneak a win, both Prius and Levin say her political opponents will smell blood in the water and come after her in the next election, as her vulnerability has proven. That could mean softer rhetoric from Bobert going forward and more focus on state affairs — or, according to Pruehs, the possibility of being denied an election. “There is a potential for that,” he said. © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
