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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert's plan to stay in Congress by switching districts could backfire after she came in fifth place in a straw poll.
The Republican congresswoman announced in December that she was moving to Colorado's 4th District.
Many saw her entry into the packed primary race in the more conservative district as an effort to avoid a loss in the more competitive 3rd District, which she won by just 546 votes in 2022. She already faced a primary challenge in that district, and had been expected to face a rematch against Democrat Adam Frisch, who had already raised more money than her.
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Boebert acknowledged during a debate with eight other participants in Fort Lupton on Thursday night that she was going to have to earn the support of voters in the 4th District. "I am here to earn your support, earn your vote," she said. "This is not a coronation."
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And a straw poll that surveyed 100 Republicans at the debate indicated that she faces an uphill battle to secure the nomination over her opponents, some of whom have lived in the district their entire lives and represent parts of it in Colorado's legislature.
She got 12 votes in the poll, according to The Denver Post. Logan County Commissioner Jerry Sonnenberg topped the poll with 22 votes, followed by State Representative Mike Lynch with 20, conservative radio host Deborah Florida with 18 and State Representative Richard Holtorf with 17.
Newsweek has contacted Boebert's campaign for comment via email.
When she announced the move, Boebert suggested her departure from the 3rd District would help Republicans retain the seat and also said it was a "fresh start" for her following a divorce.
During the debate, Boebert was challenged for moving districts. Lynch asked her to define "carpetbagger," a term that originated after the Civil War that is broadly used to refer to those who move to new places with which they have no connection for financial or political gain.
While there are months to go before the June primary, critics of Boebert have already suggested that she is "finished."
"Before I go to bed, I thought it would only be fitting to send 'thoughts & prayers' to my colleague, Lauren Boebert," Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"It's my understanding that she placed 5th in her first straw poll of the election cycle. Now how many of y'all think BoBo gonna try to convince us that polls don't matter... of course unless they are trash for Biden & great for Trump!"
"Lauren Boebert finishes 5th in a straw poll at the first GOP primary debate in her new district. She received just 10% of the vote from the Republicans who participated in the survey at the debate," the Republicans against Trump account wrote on X on Sunday. "She's finished."
Victor Chi, a Gen-Z activist and supporter of President Joe Biden, wrote: "Great news! Lauren Boebert has finished in *5th place* in a straw poll in the new 'GOP friendly' district she moved to—& this is only for the primary election, not the general. Colorado is so fed up with her. Lauren Boebert is so screwed & it makes me so happy."
Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, wrote that it was "good to see voters in Colorado's 4th congressional district firmly rejecting the insanity of Lauren Boebert. Her pro-Putin positions (among others) are totally disqualifying."
However, others were less convinced that Boebert would fail in the ling run.
"You will see the vast majority of primary voters voting for someone other than Congresswoman Boebert," Hagen Solin, a Republican strategist, told The Denver Post. "Boebert, however, is well positioned to win the plurality vote given her name recognition that extends across the 4th, unlike that of any of the other candidates."
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