This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on April 12, 2022.
State Sen. Don Coram will face incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert on the June primary ballot in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, election officials confirmed Tuesday.
The Montrose Republican had 1,563 valid signatures accepted on his petition, surpassing the 1,500 signature threshold. He will be Boebert’s only opponent in June after Marina Zimmerman failed to qualify via party assembly and decided not to pursue a write-in campaign.
Coram thanked people who signed his petition for what he called a “grassroots campaign.”
“I look forward to setting the record straight on the lies Lauren Boebert and her supporters have peddled. I will make the case to primary voters as to why I am the most qualified candidate to represent them and their families. Enough is enough! Let’s make Lauren’s first term in Congress her last,” Coram said in a statement.
Boebert received 51.4% of the vote in the 2020 general election in the district, after unseating five-term former Rep. Scott Tipton in the GOP primary. Following this year’s redistricting, the district leans further right.
She has since become a vocal, controversial member of Congress known for criticizing President Joe Biden and other representatives.
Her campaign launched an attack on Coram shortly after he announced his candidacy in January. That included a radio ad and website that alleges Coram used his public office for personal financial gain.
Coram denies the allegation.
On the Democratic side, three people are hoping to earn the party’s nomination. Sol Sandoval, a Pueblo activist, made the ballot via assembly. Adam Frish and Alex Walker both qualified via petition.
Primary elections, via mail ballot, are June 28 and the general election is November 8.