5-term GOP congressman endorsed by Trump unseated by far-right challenger with QAnon sympathies


Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) conceded defeat to his GOP primary challenger, Lauren Boebert, on Tuesday night, sealing an upset victory in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District by the far-right electoral newcomer. President Trump, who had endorsed Tipton on Monday, quickly congratulated Boebert on "a really great win!" Tipton is a five-term incumbent who beat Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush by 8 percentage points in 2018. Mitsch Bush won the Democratic primary and will face Boebert in the general election.
Boebert, who owns a gun-themed bar, ran as a more Trump-aligned conservative and said in one interview that she is "very familiar with" the QAnon conspiracy theory, thinks "it could be really great for our country," and hopes it is true. "She worked conservative talk radio pretty effectively in the district and across the state," Dick Wadhams, a former chairman of the Colorado GOP, told The Colorado Sun. "The 3rd has never been a rock-hard Republican district," so Boebert is "going to have to figure out how to adjust her campaign to be competitive." Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball election tracking organization changed the district from "likely Republican" to "leans Republican" after Tipton's loss.
Cheri Bustos, chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, suggested late Tuesday that "Washington Republicans should immediately disavow Lauren Boebert and her extremist, dangerous conspiracy theories," but they declined. Boebert told a Denver Post reporter she has already gotten congratulatory calls from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Ken Buck, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said