The Republican state lawmaker who mounted a primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert has now endorsed her Democratic opponent in the general election for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.

State Sen. Don Coram of Montrose announced his support of Democrat Adam Frisch on Wednesday, saying the Aspen business owner and former city council member has shown more interest in representing the constituency than becoming a celebrity.

“Naturally, Adam and I differ on various policies and issues. However, I know that he is the type of person who will come to the table and have a conversation. That is what we should expect from our representative,” Coram wrote in his endorsement letter.

Coram lost to Boebert in the June primary by nearly 28 points, but his challenge to the congresswoman from Silt illustrated a divide in the Republican Party over Boebert’s controversial, inflammatory style of representation.

“Bottom line, instead of working to represent the people in the 3rd CD, Lauren spends her time jet-setting around the country promoting herself and extreme rhetoric that only divides this country further. It’s disgraceful and we should expect more from our United States Representative,” he wrote.

A recent poll commissioned by Frisch’s campaign shows him within 2 points of Boebert. Frisch has said on the campaign trail that he hopes to win over a bipartisan coalition of voters in order to beat Boebert. That means attracting Republican and unaffiliated voters who supported Coram over Boebert in the primary.

In addition to supporting Frisch, Coram endorsed Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser in his bid for reelection. Weiser faces the 18th Judicial District attorney, Republican John Kellner, in the general election.

Coram has represented Senate District 6 in Southwest Colorado since 2017. Before that, he represented House District 58 for six years.

The 3rd Congressional District encompasses the Western Slope and the southwest corner of the state, sweeping east to include Pueblo, Otero and Las Animas counties. It generally favors Republicans by 9.1 percentage points.

Boebert repeated claims that Coram is corrupt, just as she did in the primary, in response to news of his endorsement.

“Corrupt Coram voted like a liberal Democrat, so it’s no surprise that he would endorse the corrupt, liberal Democrat in this race,” she said in a statement.

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