WASHINGTON (AP) — In Colorado, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of the most polarizing members of Congress, is trying to beat back a challenge from a more mainstream Republican in her primary Tuesday.
Two Republican House incumbents from Mississippi are facing primary runoffs to keep their seats, including one who voted in favor of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
In Illinois, Republican Rep. Mary Miller, who called the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade a “historic victory for white life” during a rally with former President Donald Trump — her spokesperson said she misspoke — is going up against a fellow GOP incumbent.
A total of six states are holding congressional primary elections, primary runoffs or special elections on Tuesday. Many of the Republican races will test Trump’s national influence, and others could provide the first hints of how voters are reacting to the high court’s decision on abortion.
Some of the top elections:
BOEBERT’S STAYING POWER
Boebert, a first-term firebrand, saw her GOP-leaning 3rd Congressional District in western Colorado become even more Republican after redistricting. She faces moderate state Rep. Don Coram, a rancher and hemp farmer, who slams what he calls Boebert’s extremism.
Coram argues that the incumbent’s fealty to Trump has meant neglect of her sprawling territory’s all-important agriculture issues as she seeks social and conservative media celebrity. Boebert has railed against the “Biden regime” and “socialist” Democrats. She also trumpets her gun-toting Second Amendment credentials and opposition to COVID-19 restrictions that briefly shuttered her “Shooters” restaurant.
Boebert criticizes Coram for working with legislative Democrats. Her opponent is betting voters alienated by Boebert’s provocations will choose someone more in the tradition of centrists that have played well in the area, including five-term Republican Rep. Scott Tipton, who lost to Boebert in an upset last cycle.
Also Tuesday, in Colorado’s deeply conservative El Paso County, eight-term Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn faces a challenge from the right from state Rep. Dave Williams for his 5th Congressional District seat. Williams failed to get the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” code for an obscenity against Biden, added to his name on the ballot.
Lamborn, who faces an ongoing House ethics investigation over whether he misused official resources for personal purposes, has survived primary challenges in the past as an ardent opponent of abortion and backer of the significant U.S. military presence in Colorado Springs. Earlier this year, Williams led a 24-hour filibuster in the statehouse over a bill allowing unrestricted access to abortion. The bill eventually became law.
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