Watch CBS News

State Sen. Don Coram Launches Primary Challenge To Rep. Lauren Boebert

DENVER (AP) — A moderate Colorado state senator on Wednesday announced he is taking on Rep. Lauren Boebert in this year's GOP primary, the first challenge to the firebrand congresswoman by an elected Republican.

State Rep. Don Coram
CBS4's Shaun Boyd talks with Rep. Don Coram (credit: CBS)

Boebert has only been in office one year but become a divisive national figure for her flirtations with conspiratorial conservative thinking, her provocative social media style and for picking fights with Democratic colleagues like Rep. Ilhan Omar. The owner of a firearm-themed restaurant in the town of Rifle, Boebert has already drawn one primary challenger, Marina Zimmerman, a crane operator in the southwestern Colorado town of Arboles who's never run for office before.

On Wednesday, State Sen. Don Coram, who is far better known and has a decade-long track record of winning races in western Colorado, announced he'd also challenge Boebert.

"I've had people reach out to me that think, as I do, that the extreme left and the extreme right are getting notoriety and their voice isn't being heard," Coram said in an interview. "I don't need notoriety, I'm just there to do the job."

US-POLITICS-HOUSE-REPUBLICANS
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) arrives to vote for the new Republican conference chairperson at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 14, 2021. - Former US President Donald Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and number two Steve Scalise have all endorsed a young moderate-turned-Trumpist, Elise Stefanik, to replace ousted Liz Cheney, as the new conference chair. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Boebert's reelection campaign released a statement previewing how she's likely to run against Coram. "Anyone who has looked at Don Coram's voting record knows he is a self-serving, super-woke social liberal who would have a far better chance of winning the Democrat nomination," Boebert said in the statement.

Boebert won a surprise victory in the 2020 Republican primary against Rep. Scott Tipton. Even though then-President Donald Trump endorsed Tipton, Boebert argued she was the stronger Trump supporter. Her win broke with tradition in a district that has historically valued can-do, bipartisan representatives over ideologues and firebrands.

But the district got several points more Republican due to boundary changes in Colorado's redistricting process last year. While unaffiliated voters are allowed to cast ballots in the primary, it is likely to be an uphill battle challenging a politician as well-known and well-funded as Boebert, who's raked in millions in donations since arriving in Washington.

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

(© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.