Rep. Lauren Boebert counters attacks on the Republican debate

Several Republican candidates vying to represent Colorado’s largely rural 4th Congressional District slammed U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert during a televised debate Thursday evening, accusing her of accomplishing little during her more than three years in Congress and the raised questions about whether she can prevail against a Democrat in November, if nominated.

“You haven’t accomplished anything,” Rep. Mike Lynch said during a testy exchange with the congressman. He then turned to 9News moderators Kyle Clark and Marshall Zelinger and said, “She didn’t pass any legislation.”

Repeating a theme she has used before, former conservative radio host Deborah Flora criticized Boebert for switching congressional districts — from the 3rd to the 4th — late last year, saying she had “let her neighbors in CD3 down.” .

“I’m not running away from a chair, I’m running towards this chair,” Flora said.

Boebert, who easily has the strongest name recognition of six Republicans and far and away leads the campaign fundraising game, said she has helped shepherd legislation through several committees and put her stamp on numerous bills in Congress through amendments offered.

But when pressed by state Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron to count how many bills she has sponsored that have actually become law, she admitted that only her Pueblo Jobs Act bill had gotten that far.

“That’s one,” she said.

Boebert, in turn, slammed Lynch on the issue of illegal immigration. Lynch called the congressman’s support for deporting people in the country illegally a “silly” idea, noting that the labor provided by people without permission in the country is critical, especially in the country’s vast agricultural sector of the 4th district.

Boebert said Lynch’s position is an insult to those trying to legally enter the United States.

“Getting here the right way is the most precious thing our country has to offer,” she said.

Boebert also characterized the wave of migrants crossing the southern border as an “invasion,” saying if the federal government “can fly them in, it can fly them out.”

The hour-long debate took place less than a month before Colorado held its primaries for all eight congressional districts. Ballots for the June 25 primary will arrive at voters’ homes next week.

Several Democrats are also running in their party’s primaries in the district, although the winner will face an uphill battle in such a heavily Republican-leaning district in November. Former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez will face Democrat Trisha Calvarese, a political newcomer, in a special election the same day to fill the seat until the end of former U.S. Rep. Ken Buck’s term.

Buck resigned from Congress in March.

Thursday’s debate showed Boebert standing alone in the 4th District GOP field in defending her decision to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election that declared President Joe Biden the winner — an issue that became fierce and continues to be disputed by former President Donald Trump. .

And on a day when Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying corporate records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush-money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex, all six Republican candidates quit the stage that she would still vote for Trump in November.

Weld County businessman Peter Yu was the only candidate on stage to say he did not support a Republican effort to oust Biden. He also took a less firm stance on illegal immigration than some of his opponents.

“I really believe there should be a path to citizenship for those who have been here for X number of years,” said Yu, a son of Chinese immigrants in the United States.