Boebert will likely fill the seat vacated by a congressman who criticized extremes in the Republican Party

DENVER (AP) — Former Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck has resigned from Congress frustrated by a flank of the GOP’s unwavering dedication to former President Donald Trump. NOW it will probably be replaced by one of their most vocal leaders, Rep. Lauren Boebert.

Boebert, who made his name as a Trump supporter, won the Republican primary election in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday night. Boebert joined the district race last year, escaping what would have been a difficult re-election bid in the seat she currently holds and almost lost to a Democrat in 2022.

The MP’s political game succeeded. Buck’s hopes for a more temperate Congress apparently did not materialize, at least in his old seat.

While other Republican candidates in Boebert’s vein lost their primaries in Colorado on Tuesday, Boebert has a clear path to victory in a deep red district that supported Trump in 2020.

After his victory Tuesday, Boebert donned reflective gold shoes sold by Trump and a “Make America Great Again” hat with his signature and defended his hardline policies. Although some may disagree with her style in Washington, she said “nothing is done without force.”

But the path to victory in Tuesday’s primary wasn’t as clear. THE roll the dice to jump into neighborhoods was made even riskier by an embarrassing moment when the congresswoman was filmed vaping and causing a disturbance with a date during a musical production of “Beetlejuice.” Boebert also faced accusations of mockery from fellow Republicans throughout her trip.

Buck, a staunch fiscal conservative and alumnus of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus that includes Boebert, has avoided publicly expressing his thoughts on his likely replacement. He declined a request for comment for this article.

But the former congressman has widely criticized his party’s repetition of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, questioned efforts to impeach President Joe Biden and rejected some claims by his party that those charged in the January 6 Capitol riots are political prisoners.

Boebert played a role in much of what happened. In a recording of Buck at a private event originally reported by Policythe former congressman said, “She makes George Santos look like a saint. » Santos was expelled from Congress Last year.

Drew Sexton, Boebert’s campaign manager, said voters supported Boebert because they viewed his political obstinacy in Congress as promises kept during the campaign trial and his apologies as sincere.

“She showed that she was contrite. She’s committed to doing better for herself personally, and she’s absolutely making the right votes,” he said.

The replacement of more traditional Republicans with MAGA adherents is a broader trend, said Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics in Denver.

“Some of them tried to fight him, some of them just decided to quit, and for the most part, they’re being replaced by people who are much more loyal to Donald Trump. This is very much in line with the direction of the party,” Masket said.

While Boebert leads the Republican vice president by about 30 percent, with nearly all votes counted Wednesday, more than half of voters cast ballots for one of the other five candidates.

“Boebert offers kind of a mixed lesson to other Republicans,” Masket said, pointing to his near loss in 2022 in an otherwise Republican-leaning district. “There may not be a very high price, but there is a certain price to pay for acting very brazenly and going too far with Trump.”

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Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.