Candidates vying for Lauren Boebert's CD3 seat face off for first time in virtual town hall

All of the major-party candidates in Colorado’s vast 3rd Congressional District appeared together for the first time on a virtual forum Wednesday night.

Four candidates — one Republican and three Democrats — positioned themselves as an alternative to incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Silt, who staunchly identified herself as the only opposer of Nancy Pelosi and the “liberal policies that are ruining our country.”

“I ran as a conservative. I won as a conservative. I vote as a conservative and I'll win again because I am the only conservative in this race,” Boebert said.

The town hall-style forum was hosted by several League of Women Voters chapters in the 3rd Congressional District and moderated by Sara Blackhurst, the CEO of Action 22, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for southern Colorado.

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Boebert’s sole Republican challenger to qualify for the ballot, State Sen. Don Coram of Montrose, touted his record of legislating and working in ranching. Coram was the only Boebert challenger at the forum with experience as a legislator.

“I'm going to be the candidate that will be available to all, not just the members of my party,” Coram said. “The new majority is the unaffiliated because, frankly, they are sick and tired of the rhetoric of the extreme left and the extreme right, and they want to see somebody that can go there and do the job.”

Democrats Alex Walker and Adam Frisch also positioned themselves as moderate options who were inspired to run for Congress by Boebert’s “antics,” as Frisch said in his opening statement.

“There are extremists on both sides, as Sen. Coram talked about, and I'm focused on the 80% of the people that aren't on Twitter all day long,” Frisch said in response to a question about reaching out to unaffiliated voters.

Puebloan Sol Sandoval said that her experience “living paycheck to paycheck” and extensive endorsements qualify her for office.

“It is time that we elect someone who will look out for the residents of CD-3,” Sandoval said. “As a lifelong Democrat, I share your values. I'm ready to step up and be the leader that we so desperately need.”

Boebert, who sat in front of a large illustration of an assault rifle throughout the event, said that gun-free zones are deadly and called for securing schools.

Coram said that he supports the Second Amendment and that “we need to have conversations” about gun regulation, but that mental health also needs to be discussed.

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Democrats at the forum cited specific policies they would support, such as red flag laws and expanded background checks, that have failed to pass at the federal level.

“It is not true that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. If that were true, America would be the safest place on earth,” Walker said.

Sandoval and Walker identified themselves as Second Amendment supporters — Sandoval shared that she has held concealed carry permits — but emphasized responsible gun ownership.

All of the Democrats said that they support a woman’s choice to abortion, while both Republicans said they were anti-abortion.

“I'm proud to be an American during this time where we are working to protect the most vulnerable among us,” Boebert said.

Coram included the caveat that he has supported expanding access to long-acting reversible contraception as a legislator, which has contributed to declining teen pregnancy and abortion rates in the state.

“If you are truly interested in stopping abortions, let's stop the unwanted pregnancy,” Coram said.

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Ballots have already been mailed to many voters for the primary election on June 28. Colorado's unaffiliated voters are sent ballots for both major parties but are only allowed to vote in one of the elections.

The winners from the party primaries will face off in the general election in November.

Boebert and Sandoval received overwhelming support from the state party assemblies held a few months ago, where they were the only candidates to qualify for the primary ballot through assembly support. The three other candidates in the race qualified for the ballot by submitting petitions.

Boebert’s spending has dwarfed all other candidates in the race — she has raised more than $4.4 million, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. Sandoval, who has raised more than $800,000, leads among Democrats, but Frisch has loaned his campaign more than $1.5 million.

Republicans have a 9-point advantage in the district, which encompasses most of the Western Slope, the San Luis Valley and Pueblo.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Don Coram is the only candidate running against Lauren Boebert with experience as a legislator, not the only one with political experience. 

Anna Lynn Winfrey can be reached by email at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey. 

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado CD-3 candidates face off in virtual town hall