On a recent Friday morning, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert stood in front of a small church located in a shopping center in Elizabeth. In front of chairs packed with members of the Elbert County Republican Party, the congresswoman was greeted with loud applause.

“I am from the federal government. “I’m here to help,” he joked to the crowd, drawing laughter for his mocking commentary on Ronald Reagan’s old saying, “and to make sure these Democrats don’t take away your freedoms.”

Since she first ran for Congress on the other side of the state four years ago, the twists and turns of Boebert’s political path have continued to surprise and shock Colorado’s political establishment.

The latest chapter in his political saga began after his 2022 re-election bid, when he nearly lost his 3rd District seat. Since then, he survived a scandal over his disruptive behavior at a theater performance and moved across the state to lead and represent the 4th District.

The move, which her political opponents criticized as a sham, put her in the state’s most reliably red congressional district, encompassing the eastern plains and conservative Front Range communities in Douglas, Larimer and Weld counties.

While speaking to this friendly crowd at the Elizabeth event, Boebert addressed her usual list of national issues, particularly claims of an open border and the crime and fentanyl overdoses she associates with it. But he also took the time to address issues closer to home and show his knowledge of his new district.

“I’m also fighting alongside you for our local issues, for our resources, for our water, for our energy development, for our economic development,” he said, before joking that Elbert County, which has He struggled with concerns about growth in recent years.he was no longer interested in any economic development.

Boebert’s message in this final week of the campaign has been a theme of her career in Congress: less government.

“We are fighting for that American dream so that people don’t have to depend on the government for food, health care, housing, wondering what the next day will be like. “We want less DC in our lives,” he said.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

But Boebert brought some DC to this meeting. Supporting her were House Republican Leader Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Republican Rep. Beth Van Duyne of Texas, who sang Boebert’s praises and urged the crowd to get out and vote.

“We have to recover our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers. It is time to stand up, speak, vote and start saving this country,” Emmer implored the crowd. “If we do that, you’re sending Lauren Boebert back with the biggest number she’s ever had.”

Boebert barely survived her last re-election in her Republican-leaning district, winning by 546 votes. It was a strong sign that voters had tired of the congresswoman, who got more media coverage for his antics and insults from fellow congressmenthan your actual legislative work.

In front of both a serious primary challenge and a possible revenge with her previous Democratic rival, Boebert made the surprise move at the end of last year to run for election to the seat vacated by Republican Rep. Ken Buck.

That shift put her in a district where Republicans make up nearly 34 percent of active registered voters and Democrats are only about 15 percent, with the largest unaffiliated bloc at 47 percent.

If Boebert had to move to stay in office, Elizbeth, Republican Kimberly Eckhout, is fine with that.

“I like his personality. “It’s pretty brave, which is something you have to be now if you’re in Congress,” he said.

Eckhout said he remembered when members of Congress were willing to work together to get things done.

“There seems to be a faction that says, ‘No, we don’t have to do that anymore.’ “It’s a dangerous place to go,” he said.

But when it was pointed out that Boebert has often been part of that uncompromising bloc in the House… being against the selection of Kevin McCarthy as president and voting against the rules to promote Republican bills. Eckhout said, “she is contending. She is giving back what she receives. But in general I don’t like to see that, but that’s how you have to play.”

Republican William King did not endorse Boebert in the Republican primary for the seat, but he endorses her now.

“We have selected our candidate and it is the job of the Republican Party to elect Republicans and take control of the House,” he explained. “So, we support those people, okay. And the other issues may still be there and we can discuss them privately, but no, the support has to be unity.”

He believes there is a lot of support for Boebert in the district because she “doesn’t give up on the issues that are important to all Republicans right now.”

The Democratic candidate tries to get the Republicans to give her a chance

Despite the district’s partisan history, Democrat Trisha Calvarese is doing everything she can to derail Boebert’s direct bid to return to the House.

Calvarese grew up in Highlands Ranch with conservative Republican parents. He returned to the district last year to provide end-of-life care.

Caitlyn Kim/CPR News

He is running because he believes the district needs someone who will care for all of its residents, on a human level, and the real-world challenges they face.

“I’m running to put people before partying. Because I have been there,” he explained. “I went through a horrible experience providing end-of-life care for both of my parents. I had a lot of support and structures in place. And a lot of people in our district don’t have that. “Everyone deserves a representative who fights for them.”

On a Saturday morning, Calvarese joined about two dozen volunteers at a park in Highlands Ranch as they prepared to knock on doors.

Like Boebert, Calvarese also had help from Congress to energize the crowd: Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who used to represent the area before redistricting.

“(Boebert) represents the worst of politics and Americans’ view of politics. Someone who doesn’t give a damn about their district, someone who cares about their own profile and their own celebrity and just getting attention,” he said.

Crow noted that while he and former Congressman Ken Buck had little in common, they found issues they could work on together.

“We have higher expectations of our elected officials. We hope people comply. “We hope people protect your families and yourselves,” he said.

Caitlyn Kim/CPR News

Calvarese is focusing on some policy issues in the final week before the election, things about Boebert that he told volunteers data shows can influence voters.

“Number one: she doesn’t support veterans. “She voted against care for veterans exposed to cancer, which causes toxins during war,” he said, highlighting Boebert’s vote against the PACT Act, which extended health benefits to veterans exposed to toxins during their service.

Boebert said she voted against due to cost and concerns that the Veterans Administration would be overwhelmed. He has highlighted 11 veteran-friendly amendments that he adopted into bills but have not become law.

Calvarese also attacks Boebert’s support for the Law of life at the moment of conceptionwhich could threaten access to IVF, something many families in Douglas County, the district’s most populous county, have sought.

And finally, Calvarese wants to make sure voters don’t forget about Boebert’s district change from Rifle to Windsor.

That’s what led Highlands Ranch resident Valerie Echeveste to volunteer for Calvarese’s campaign.

She explained: “Having Boebert come to our district, when she’s not from here and doesn’t represent things that I value, it feels important to try to help elect Tricia Calvarese to have someone who I believe will fight for her.” this community and this district in Congress.”

Volunteer Ben Bunker, also of Highlands Ranch, said he was knocking on doors for Calvarese because he believes voters should look beyond the party and look at the person.

“(Boebert) is really not a person who is from here (or) represents the people here. And just getting people to vote and leave their tribal encampments is not really the way we’re going to move things forward,” Bunker said.

Caitlyn Kim/CPR News

Calvarese knows he has a mountain to climb to beat Boebert in a district that is so heavily Republican, but he insists he can win over enough of them to make a difference.

“My first endorsement was from a Republican and that was from my father,” he said. “People want common sense solutions and they want real progress, whether it’s a Farm Bill or continuing to invest in our infrastructure… to create good jobs in the future.”

The dynamics of this race are not as simple as Republican versus Democrat. There is also a Libertarian in the race, Hannah Goodman, who could potentially siphon votes away from Boebert. Her presence on the ballot offers voters, particularly Republicans, who have reservations about Boebert, another option beyond the Democrat. In a vacant election this summer to fill Buck’s seat for the remainder of this Congress, Goodman received around 9,000 votes.five percent of the total (Boebert was not on the ballot for that race).

While a Calvarese victory is a long shot, many will closely monitor the election night results.

The former Republicans won in fourth place with about 60 percent of the vote. Anything less than that for Boebert could be a warning sign that she hasn’t put her electoral woes in her old seat behind her.