Recently, the owner of Shooters Grill, a diner in Rifle Colorado, has made some headlines, in one instance by taking on Beto O’Rourke.
Her restaurant has been featured numerous times due to her and her staff open carrying pistols while slinging scrumptious grub on the Western Slope.
Lauren Boebert seems to be enjoying her new-found notoriety that revolves around her outspoken firebrand image as a gun toting, free-wheeling, business owning, western conservative lady.
She’s now announced her bid to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
For some, this is a welcome respite from what they believe to be quid-pro-quo politics and entrenched lifer politicians.
However, for others, this is a dangerous game. The dangers are not just simply superficial, nor do they claim genesis in “fear of change.”
This challenge could likely cost Tipton upwards of $200,000 in campaign funds, according to one seasoned political consultant. And that’s the low end of the danger scale. Last election cycle, Tipton had a battle on his hands, but he hung on in the 3rd, even as it grows ever more purple by the day.
READ: Colorado Sun opinion columnists.
Two hundred thousand dollars goes a long way in today’s elections. Beyond that, if Boebert were to be successful and win in the primary, she simply doesn’t have what it takes to fundraise for a contested general election for the U.S. House. If it were that simple, we all would have been to D.C. already as elected officials.
Furthermore, she has repeatedly cited issues we all know to have originated within the state as her impetus for running. This begs the question: Why are you running for a federal office?
Boebert’s professional experiences mostly lay in the food industry sector.
Last year, 80 fairgoers suffered food poisoning at the Rifle Rodeo, where Boebert’s company served pork sliders that were blamed for sickness. The Post-Independent reported that the company failed to obtain a permit for its mobile stand at the rodeo.
When confronted with this ugly reality of poor management and lack of attention to detail, Boebert went on with a nearly incomprehensible blather about religion, God and Jesus.
Please don’t get me wrong. I believe faith is a cornerstone of a properly functioning society, but when confronted with a mass poisoning, faith takes a back seat to simple accountability and responsibility.
Fast forward to today, she is now asking the voters of over half of Colorado to send her to Washington, D.C., to help run our nation.
This after she has proven a complete disregard for the most basic of civilian-governmental interactions: applying for permits.
This after she proved herself incapable of oversight of a few employees to ensure no one became ill. This after she cited the Good Lord in place of saying simply, “We made a mistake, we are sorry.” And now she wants to oversee our federal government? And replace Rep. Scott Tipton?
For those who aren’t aware, the following are highlights of what Scott has done for Colorado: He is endorsed by President Trump, has a lifetime A rating with the NRA, lifetime A rating with National Shooting Sports Foundation, 100% National Right to Life rating, lifetime A rating with the Gun Owners of America, 100% score from Americans for Prosperity 116th Congress, 97% rating from the American Energy Alliance, and so on.
There are far too many to list here, but they can all be viewed here as compiled by my good friend Becky Gremillion.
So this spring when the 3rd Congressional District convenes its convention and in the June primary election, please remember exactly for whom and why you are voting.
Vote for competent and experienced Coloradans who understand responsibility and accountability, not someone who can’t even manage a small team of cooks and servers well enough to save from sickening a large crowd. Vote for someone with a rock solid track record, not a person who hides behind our good book when she’s made a major mistake.
Jake Viano is a small business owner and is the former Chairman of the Denver County Republican Party.