Two GOP congressional districts in upheaval | SONDERMANN
U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn would be advised to keep his head down. Even as he hardly needs my advice on the matter. Laying low as the walking embodiment of nondescript and undistinguished comes rather naturally to him.
Though relative to Colorado’s two other Republican members of Congress, Lamborn is a font of political stability.
Looking to the west and south, Lamborn’s GOP colleague, the lightning rod Lauren Boebert, is embroiled in a political battle of survival, one she may well not win. Turning to the east and north, the only other GOP part of Colorado’s congressional delegation, Ken Buck, has offered his sayonara after having been front and center in the biggest political battles of the year.
A state that has quickly grown quite solidly blue will now feature two political battles on what remains of reddish turf.
Without any statewide races in 2024, congressional districts 3 (Boebert) and 4 (Buck) will take center stage. The only incumbent Democrat who looks to have any kind of contest on her hands is first-term representative Yadira Caraveo in the suburbs north of Denver. That district was drawn to be the ultimate in competitiveness.
But unless the Democratic brand does a hard fade or Republicans defy recent history and pull their act together, the odds are that Caraveo lays longer-term claim to the seat. Republicans were unable to beat her in an open district with as strong a candidate as they are likely to find in State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer.