La Plata County voters cast their ballots for Republican Don Coram over incumbent Lauren Boebert in Tuesday’s Republican primary, but Boebert snatched victory in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
In La Plata County, Coram had about 52.5% of the vote compared with Boebert’s 47.5% as of 9:54 p.m. But districtwide, Boebert was winning with about 65% of the vote.
On the Democratic side, CD-3 candidate Adam Frisch, a former Aspen City Council member, led Sol Sandoval, a community organizer from Pueblo, with 45% of the vote to Sandoval’s 40% in La Plata County. Districtwide, Frisch had 43% of the vote over Sandoval’s 41%. Alex Walker remained a distant third in the race.
Republicans Joe O’Dea for U.S. senator and Heidi Ganahl for governor both lead their competitors by double digits in the La Plata County primaries.
Pam Anderson had a commanding lead over Tina Peters and Mike O’Donnell in La Plata County with 48.2% of the votes for the Republican nomination for Colorado secretary of state. Anderson also had a commanding lead statewide and was declared winner of the race.
The Associated Press called the Republican governor’s race for Ganahl and the Republican U.S. Senate race for O’Dea.
Boebert declared victory over Coram in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m.
“I’m thrilled the voters showed their confidence in me to continue being their Representative,” Boebert said in a news release sent just after 8 p.m. “Hardworking Americans recognize now is not the time to go along to get along, it’s time to stand up and fight for our American way of life. That is exactly what I will continue to do. Conservative Republicans like me are going to help take back the House in November, fire Nancy Pelosi, and do all we can to get our country back on track.”
Frisch announced victory around 9 p.m. Tuesday in a news release, immediately positioning himself as a contrast to Boebert.
“I am building the needed coalition of Democrats, Unaffiliates, and the growing number of disenfranchised Republicans to defeat Rep. Boebert in the fall and to save our Democracy from a radical conspiracy nut,” Frisch said. “Boebert is a threat to our way of life and a threat to our Constitution. Unlike the other extremists in the country, Boebert only won 51% of the vote in 2020, and did not even win her home county. Those that know Boebert best do not trust her.”
About 17,000 ballots, or 41% of active voters, participated in La Plata County’s primary elections, exceeding the 2018 primaries, which serve as the closest comparison.
In 2018, just 29.79% of voters cast ballots in the midterm primaries. This year’s turnout is closer to La Plata County’s 2020 presidential year primary in which 44.01% of voters cast a ballot.
“I was hoping for 40%,” said La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee. “For a primary, this is a great turnout and a very, very smooth election in La Plata County.”
A steady stream of voters returned mail ballots at the drop-off box at the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office on Tuesday in Bodo Industrial Park, with trucks, cars and even bicycles passing through the drive-thru lane.
While less frequent, dozens of voters also showed up to the Clerk and Recorder’s Office to cast their ballot in person. About 80 voters had gone through the voting center there as of Tuesday afternoon, an uptick after a slow week, said Tommy Pope, an election judge.
Those who showed up in person said their choice for candidates, issues like inflation and their civic duty spurred them to vote.
A number of voters expressed disdain for Boebert and said their opposition to the firebrand Republican was what brought them to the polls.
Shannon Dale, an unaffiliated voter who leans Democratic but remains unaffiliated to keep her options open, voted in Tuesday’s primaries specifically to oust Boebert.
“It’s everything she stands for,” Dale said.
Though ineligible to vote in the Republican primaries as a registered Democrat, Añas Zamudio said Boebert was the reason she turned out.
“I just want to vote for anybody except her,” she said.
Other voters cast their ballot in response to issues that they want addressed.
Jim Howland said inflation, gas prices and Joe Biden’s first year and half in office drew him to the polls.
“I don’t like what he’s done just coming in and abolishing the energy policies that were working really well. I like being energy independent,” Howland said. “We’re not happy with a lot of stuff that’s happening with the government right now, so we’re going to cast our vote.”
But for many of those who visited the Clerk and Recorder’s Office on Tuesday, it was civic duty that drove them to vote.
“It’s being able to. I can, and I feel like I should,” said Maggie Papineau, who served in the military for 20 years.
Natalie Crosby argued that, though primaries often produce lower turnout, it’s critical that voters have a say in who will run in November’s general election.
“I feel like it’s our part as a citizen of the country to do our best to vote,” Crosby said.
Local races in La Plata County for both parties were uncontested Tuesday, setting the stage for the Nov. 8 general election.
Shelli Shaw advanced as the Republican candidate for Colorado House District 59 and will challenge three-term Democratic incumbent Barbara McLachlan.
McLachlan cruised to victory against Republican candidate Marilyn Harris in 2020, winning by about 11 percentage points. However, after redistricting following the 2020 census, Democrats hold just a 2.2 percentage point edge in the district.
Colorado’s new district maps will be used for the first time in the November 2022 elections.
District 1 county commissioner candidates Clyde Church, a Democrat, and Brad Blake, a Republican, both moved forward. The two will likely face off in a three-way race with unaffiliated candidate Jack Turner, who is collecting signatures to appear on the November ballot.
In 2018, Blake lost to Church by just 23 votes after he led his Democratic challenger on election night.
Republicans have just one other candidate for La Plata County offices. County Coroner Jann Smith is seeking re-election, and with Democrats failing to stand a candidate, she will run unopposed.
Democrats have three candidates for county offices: Incumbent Sean Smith for sheriff; Carrie Woodson for assessor; and Allison Aichele for treasurer. Smith and Woodson will run in uncontested elections in November, while Aichele will face unaffiliated candidate Erin Hutchins.
Unaffiliated candidate Tiffany Lee is running unopposed for La Plata County clerk and recorder.
ahannon@durangoherald.com
