Lauren Boebert used Trump and the Proud Boys to gain power – now she’s getting personal to defend her seat

Ms Boebert has accused her opponent of ‘succumbing to blackmail’ while serving on the Aspen City Council

Lauren Boebert, 35, who is running for re-election as a US Representative for Colorado, was among the first of a post-2016 breed of Maga-focused Republicans to win a major congressional seat.

Ms Boebert is the daughter of a single mother and has spoken at length about her upbringing struggling with poverty and a single-parent home.

The congresswoman first made headlines not as a politician but as a restauranteur. Her establishment, called Shooters, grabbed the public’s attention thanks to its wait staff openly carrying firearms during their shifts. She also refused to stop offering in-door dining during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Boebert made national headlines again after she disrupted a campaign event held by then-Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who had run on tightening gun control measures to curb shooting violence in the country. She was armed when she crashed the event and defied Mr O’Rourke’s claim that he wanted to confiscate assault weapons.

Later that year she announced her candidacy for the state’s 3rd Congressional District, challenging then-incumbent Scott Tipton. Ms Boebert ran a campaign largely rooted in Maga-ideology and loyalty to former President Donald Trump, and has continued to promote nationalist ideals during her time in Congress.

During her campaign and congressional tenure, Ms Boebert has been criticised for saying she "hopes [QAnon] is true," closeness with the Proud Boys right-wing gang, and claiming she is "with the militias." She faced further scrutiny after aligning herself with the Capitol rioters on January 6 and tweeting "today is 1776" while Trump loyalists attacked the building and Capitol police.

Ms Boebert is currently defending her seat against challenger Adam Frisch. The most recent polling suggests Ms Boebert is leading, but only by about two percentage points. He has run his campaign on "ending [Ms Boebert’s] circus" in Washington and has aired campaign ads claiming she "embraces Neo Nazis," and that she has been "encouraging violence."

The congresswoman has responded by trying to tie Mr Frisch to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and of being an out-of-touch elitist for formerly living in Aspen and serving on its city council. She has also alleged he "succumbed to blackmail" while serving on the councils, a claim Mr Frisch said he wished not to elaborate on to avoid adding "fuel to the fire."

Ms Boebert is married to her husband, Jayson, who began dating her when she was a minor. The couple have four sons and reside in Silt, Colorado.