Boebert slammed for 15 anti-veteran votes after boasting of support for troops

Democrat hopes to unseat controversial first-term congresswoman

A Democrat hoping to defeat Lauren Boebert is calling her out for her lack of support for bills meant to help US military veterans.

Adam Frisch laid out his opponent’s votes on more than a dozen pieces of legislation over the weekend after Ms Boebert, a first-term congresswoman championed by the far right and known for her racist comments about colleagues, touted her work on veterans’ affairs.

“I voted for four pro-veteran bills that were signed into law and led several amendments to provide funding for mental health and other important services for our veterans,” wrote Ms Boebert in a tweet that also urged her followers to click and learn more about “the work I’m doing to support America’s heroes”.

Mr Frisch responded in his own lengthy tweet thread, blaming her for opposing a wide range of bills including legislation expanding veterans’ access to treatment for exposure to toxic “burn pits” as well as a bill to automatically enroll veterans in Department of Veterans’ Affairs healthcare.

“Lauren Boebert is no friend of Veterans. I will protect their interests once in Washington,” he concluded.

Ms Boebert is one of the most hardened right-wing culture warriors on Capitol Hill and frequently lashes out at her Democratic colleagues over a range of issues; late last year, her vitriol aimed at Muslim-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota earned her widespread condemnation and calls from progressives for her removal from House committees.

She recently won her primary election to run for a second term in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District; a poll released by Mr Frisch in August showed him within single digits of his opponent, a margin not unexpected for the district which is rated R+6 by the Cook Political Report.

Republicans are thought by most analysts to hold a slight advantage over Democrats for winning control of the House in November, however, the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, has expressed optimism and suggested that her caucus could even gain seats in the midterms.