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Lauren Boebert’s unexpectedly tight race for re-election in Colorado has emerged as one of the biggest surprises in the 2022 midterms. As of Wednesday morning, the extreme Republican was trailing behind Democratic challenger Adam Frisch for her House seat in the state’s 3rd Congressional District by a margin of just under 2 percent with 93 per cent of votes counted in the district. The race still remains too close to call – though the New York Times is estimating that Ms Boebert will claw her way back to victory, based on the areas in the district still left to report votes. The tight race comes as something of a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats – as well as pollsters – after the controversial, gun-toting congresswoman had been expected to enjoy a comfortable reelection. Meanwhile in the race for Senate, Democrat Michael Bennet edged out Republican Joe O’Dea with 54.9 per cent of the vote. The governorship also went blue, with Democrat Jared Polis beating out Republican Heidi Ganahl. Show latest update 1668017518
‘People want the circus to stop’
Few were picking Lauren Boebert’s Congressional race to go down to the wire. “She is the incumbent; she represents a plus-nine Republican district; she’s outraised Adam Frisch, so she has more money to spend for her campaign,” Justin Gollob, a political science professor, told The Independent’s Sheila Flynn. “Her name recognition is higher than Adam Frisch’s. Probably one of his biggest liabilities at this point is his lower name recognition. “All those signs point to a fairly convincing win. So what’s really a surprise, at this point, is that we’re even having this conversation about the competitiveness of this race.” Read Sheila’s fascinating report on how Ms Boebert’s “angertainment” alienated voters. Bevan Hurley9 November 2022 18:11 1668016258
Watch: Craziest moments from US midterm election night
Standout moments from the midterm elections include Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake promising to be a “nightmare” for journalists, Mike Lindell claiming “90 per cent of the country votes Republican,” and Tudor Dixon refusing to concede the Michigan governor’s race.
Craziest moments from US midterm election night
The US midterms concluded on Tuesday, 8 November, after a hectic campaign trail for Democrats and Republicans. This year’s elections saw 35 of 100 Senate and all 435 House seats up for grabs, with Democrats performing stronger than expected , retaining a number of key seats thought to be in danger. Standout moments from the contest include Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake promising to be a “nightmare” for journalists, Mike Lindell claiming “90 per cent of the country votes Republican,” and Tudor Dixon refusing to concede the Michigan governor’s race. Sign up to our politics newsletter here. Bevan Hurley9 November 2022 17:50 1668015019
Social media users troll Boebert over potential loss
Social media users have begun trolling Lauren Boebert over a potential loss in the midterms. With the Republican still trailing her Democratic rival on Wednesday afternoon, many people took to Twitter to celebrate the possibility that she might be defeated and to mull what job Ms Boebert could do next. “While the race has not been officially called, we can confirm that a Dancing With The Stars representative HAS reached out tonight to Lauren Boebert,” tweeted actor Bradley Whitford. Another social media user posted a meme of a McDonald’s sign, open to hiring the Colorado congresswoman. Meanwhile, another shared a meme of the Joker giving directions to a clown, captioning it: “Madison Cawthorn showing Lauren Boebert around the Unemployment Office.” “Boebert” was also trending with the tight race coming as something of a surprise to both Republicans and Democrats – as well as pollsters. Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 17:30 1668013819
US midterms: Who won, who lost and what we know so far
As the results began to roll in from America’s midterm elections on Tuesday night, it quickly became clear that the contest had been much closer than expected and the outcome more nail-biting and unpredictable than many had foreseen. The Republicans appear close to securing a majority in the House of Representatives at the time of writing and could yet sneak an advantage in the Senate too, which would allow them to play havoc with Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. But the “red tsunami” that many blustering conservative commentators had confidently forecast was about to level Washington DC has most certainly not materialised. Find out who won, who lost and what we know so far: Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 17:10 1668012619
Frisch still leading Boebert by 1.2%
Adam Frisch is still enjoying a 1.2 percentage point lead over Lauren Boebert in the race for the Colorado House seat. Mr Frisch, a Democrat, is leading with 50.6 per cent of the votes, to Ms Boebert’s 49.4 per cent, with 93 per cent of votes now reported. Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 16:50 1668012010
Voices: Polls got it wrong about the midterm election results. Here’s why
Polls got it wrong about the midterm election results. Here’s why From large numbers of independent voters to suburban women to younger voters turning up in better-than-expected numbers, the Democrats had some unexpected advantages. And even where Republicans are winning, it may be more due to redistricting than the popularity of their own candidates. Michael Salfino explains more:
Polls got it wrong about the midterm election results. Here’s why
From large numbers of independent voters to suburban women to younger voters turning up in better-than-expected numbers, the Democrats had some unexpected advantages. And even where Republicans are winning, it may be more due to redistricting than the popularity of their own candidates Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 16:40 1668011453
‘A complete crock’: Political observers mock Trump and GOP’s ‘red wave’ failing during midterms
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, Republicans, former presidents, journalists, podcasters, and even some prominent Democrats like California governor Gavin Newsom were predicting a “red wave” of GOP victories that would flip control of Congress. Former president Donald Trump claimed there would be a “red wave because of crime.” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas predicted not just a red wave, but a “red tsunami.” Radio host Joe Rogan said the wave would look like the elevators full of blood in the classic horror film The Shining. The 2022 midterms won’t be remembered as a political bloodbath; even though the party rode into the election against an unpopular president, during an off year and high inflation and gas prices—all reliable predictors of a backlash against the party in the White House. The Independent’s Josh Marcus has the full story: Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 16:30 1668010733
Boebert used Trump and the Proud Boys to gain power – then she got personal to defend her seat
During Lauren Boebert’s election run, she tried to tie rival Adam Frisch to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and of being an out-of-touch elitist for formerly living in Aspen and serving on its city council. She also alleged he “succumbed to blackmail” while serving on the councils, a claim Mr Frisch said he wished not to elaborate on to avoid adding “fuel to the fire”. The Independent’s Graig Graziosi has the full story: Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 16:18 1668009909
Who is Adam Frisch?
Adam Frisch, 55, is caught in a close race with Lauren Boebert for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. Mr Frisch is a former currency trader who served eight years on Aspen City Council. A married father of two, he was unaffiliated with any party for decades before joining the Democratic Party in 1992. He told The Independent that he decided to run against Ms Boebert because he found some of her comments “disgusting and anti-ethical to America” and opposed her brand of “angertainment”. Calling himself a “numbers person,” Mr Frisch said that the fact that Ms Boebert only won 51 per cent of the vote when she was elected in 2020 also “caught my eye”. “I was thinking, you know, if a moderate, pragmatic, pro-business Democrat could get by the Democratic primary, which wouldn’t be easy – and it wasn’t – I thought I could build a coalition,” he said. Rachel Sharp9 November 2022 16:05 1668009309
Who is Lauren Boebert?
Lauren Boebert, 35, was among the first of a post-2016 breed of MAGA-focused Republicans to win a major congressional seat. Ms Boebert is the daughter of a single mother and has spoken at length about her upbringing struggling with poverty and a single-parent home. The congresswoman first made headlines not as a politician but as a restauranteur. Her establishment, called Shooters, grabbed the public’s attention thanks to its wait staff openly carrying firearms during their shifts. She also refused to stop offering in-door dining during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ms Boebert made national headlines again after she disrupted a campaign event held by then-Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who had run on tightening gun control measures to curb shooting violence in the country. She was armed when she crashed the event and defied Mr O’Rourke’s claim that he wanted to confiscate assault weapons. Later that year she announced her candidacy for the state’s 3rd Congressional District, challenging then-incumbent Scott Tipton. Ms Boebert ran a campaign largely rooted in MAGA-ideology and loyalty to former President Donald Trump, and has continued to promote nationalist ideals during her time in Congress. During her campaign and congressional tenure, Ms Boebert has been criticised for saying she “hopes [QAnon] is true,” closeness with the Proud Boys right-wing gang, and claiming…
