Six candidates vying for the Republican nomination in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a seat vacated earlier this year by former Rep. Ken Buck, took part in a debate Wednesday in Denver. Among them was Rep. Lauren Boebert, who announced in December that she would be changing districts.
The candidates mostly saw eye-to-eye on former President Donald Trump, immigration, climate change and federal spending, but broke from one another on foreign policy, with Boebert the only candidate to oppose providing U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
“Ukraine is not a NATO ally and we have already sent them over- nearly $200 billion of your tax dollars. There have been no audits, we do not know where this money is going for, it’s completely unaccountable and we continue to send more money there,” she said.
All six Republican candidates who will appear on the ballot debated on a number of issues in a debate hosted by CBS News Colorado and moderated by CBS News Colorado Political Specialist Shaun Boyd on Wednesday.
In addition to Boebert, the other candidates include Deborah Flora, state Rep. Richard Holtorf, state Rep. Michael Lynch, state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and Peter Yu.
Not every candidate was asked every question, and some questions called for a simple yes or no response, or a show of hands.
“I deliver for Colorado,” Boebert claimed during her opening statement, in which she highlighted her experience in Congress. She later boasted about her endorsement from Trump.
Holtorf, a cattle rancher and state representative whose district includes Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties, described himself as a “no-nonsense conservative” and a fighter, citing his military and combat experience.
Lynch, a state representative whose district includes Larimer and Weld Counties, said he wants to turn his frustration with Congress into action if he were to be elected, honing in on the issues of immigration and fentanyl.
Flora, a parent, filmmaker and radio host, attacked Boebert in her opening statement, saying, “we’ve seen how Lauren Boebert would represent us, abandoning her neighbors in CD3, missing key votes while chasing cameras and being in the center of D.C. drama instead of delivering real solutions for the people.”
Flora said she would focus on issues such as immigration and the economy.
Sonnenberg, a state senator whose district includes Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld and Yuma Counties, highlighted his deep roots in Colorado and experience in the Colorado state House and Senate. He boasted about his leadership skills and experience stopping “the liberal agenda.”
Yu has worked as an executive at Wyndham Worldwide and HSBC Bank, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in several recent elections. He said he has spent several hours per day knocking on voters’ doors, and described one meeting he had with a politically-divided couple who told him they had both changed their party affiliation due to having “zero trust in Congress.” Yu claimed he would work to restore that trust if elected.
CD4 includes a large portion of eastern Colorado. The district also includes Douglas County in the southern part of the Denver metro area, and the city of Loveland in Northern Colorado.
Boebert currently represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers most of western and some of southern Colorado, but she announced late last year that she was changing districts.
“(Boebert) had to move from a pretty good Republican district to an overwhelmingly Republican district in order to think she could win re-election,” CBS Colorado Republican political analyst Dick Wadhams said earlier this month.
Colorado’s primary election will take place June 25. Ballots in the primary election will be sent out to voters in the mail next week.