Adam Frisch, the Democratic challenger to Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, stopped by 11th Street Station in Durango on Saturday at an Indivisible Durango event to discuss his priorities for Colorado Congressional District 3 if elected in 2024 and meet with residents.
Frisch said his core values lie in ranching, farming and energy, with water and immigration being the two largest pieces of agriculture that need to be addressed. He said the nation will need to transition as it faces the global climate crisis, and he supports women’s rights to abortion and health care.
And he discussed two major themes: No. 1, “people want the circus to stop in D.C.” No. 2, “(Boebert) is not focusing on the job, she’s focusing on herself.”
He lost to Boebert in 2022 by just 546 votes, and he criticized his opponent from several angles. He said Boebert has been identified as the most vulnerable Republican up for reelection in the country despite being seated in the firmly red CD3.
“(She) should be in a layup Republican district, but she’s a risk, and she’s the gift that keeps on giving as we have these conversations,” he said. “(She’s) not a gift for our district, she’s not a gift for our country, but from a purely political race standpoint, she is the gift that keeps on giving.”
He referenced the January infighting between U.S. House Republicans over who would become Speaker of the House and Boebert proudly denied Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy the role several times before switching to a neutral position and letting him through.
“At that point, she had some level of power and persuasion, which she’ll probably never have again. Because even the leadership in the Republican Party is not spending a lot of time talking to her,” he said.
He said she used that sliver of influence to get onboard an oversight committee mostly focused on allegations involving Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, and his laptop.
“I’ve driven 24,000 miles and I think I’m correct to say that Hunter Biden’s laptop is about 747th out of the top 750 concerns of everyone in CD3,” he said.
If Frisch had been in Boebert’s position, with a certain amount of sway, he would have taken the opportunity to get onto the appropriations committee, which has a subcommittee that’s focused on water and energy, he said.
“Or I would have used it to get on a rural development and agricultural committee,” he said. “She didn’t use it for either of those.”
In a Q&A with residents, Frisch said after water, immigration is the biggest challenge for the agriculture industry, and one that needs to be solved humanely while preserving America’s values and ensuring security.
And he said he wants to be known as the man who brought the most money back to CD3, referencing federal funding that could be put to use in the district.
He also acknowledged the urban-rural divide and acknowledged “the Democratic brand just hasn’t connected with rural America for about 25 years now.” La Plata County has more in common with rural Iowa than Denver, and if federal money isn’t coming back to the county, it’s going to rural Iowa or rural Wyoming.
And he criticized Boebert again for voting against measures that would increase funding for CD3 and then still going to ribbon-cuttings when those measures pass without her support.
“We’re very good on Twitter. We don’t hammer her for all of her foibles,” he said. “But when she’s talking to firefighters in a picture, we’re very quick to point out all the times she’s voted against supporting firefighters.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
