Frisch concedes to Boebert

The campaign for Democrat Adam Frisch of Aspen on Friday issued the following press release conceding a very tight election to controversial Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Silt:

Earlier today, Adam Frisch called Congresswoman Lauren Boebert to concede in the race to represent Colorado’s 3rd congressional district. The “closest House race in the nation,” in which Frisch ultimately trailed Boebert by only a few hundred votes, was one of the most shocking of the 2022 midterm election cycle, with Boebert massively underperforming in a deep-red district that favors Republicans by 7 points.

“We have shown the country that extremist politicians can be defeated. Loud voices are not invincible, shouting will not solve problems.  We do not have to let hate win, but we can come together and talk about issues that are important to our individual lives and our communities,” said Frisch during a press conference today, which you can watch here on the campaign website. 

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to spend the last several months traveling this district and meeting with the people of Western and Southern Colorado,”Frisch said. “While an automatic recount is on the horizon, we don’t expect the outcome to change. Historically, recounts in the state don’t change the results by more than a dozen votes because Colorado is the gold standard when it comes to elections. I called Congresswoman Boebert to concede this race because it is vital to our Democracy to trust and accept the results of our elections. 

“It would be disingenuous and unethical for us, or any other group, to continue to raise false hope and to encourage fundraising for a recount,” Frisch said.“Colorado’s elections are safe, accurate, and secure. Please, save your money for your groceries, your rent, your children, and for other important causes and organizations. 

“With the closeness of this race, we have defied incredible odds and delivered a moral victory for the people of CO-3, many of whom crossed party lines to reject extremism with their vote,” Frisch added. “This is a testament to the bipartisan coalition we have built throughout this campaign, and I’m confident that coalition will continue to grow into the future.” 

“We told the country that the urban and rural divide plaguing the Democratic party over the past decades does not have to continue,” Frisch said. “Denver and D.C. politicians need to demonstrate an understanding of the issues that face rural America and celebrate, not disrespect, the rural folks across the country.”

Frisch, an independent-minded businessman and former city councilor from Colorado’s Western Slope, won widespread support from across the political spectrum throughout his campaign, including from key Republican leaders in the district like Republican state Sen. Don Coram of Montrose and former Colorado Republican House Speaker Russ George.

Election prognosticators did not consider the race for CO-3 to be competitive, particularly after a redistricting process that ultimately favored Republicans in the district. Nathaniel Rakich from FiveThirtyEight referred to the race as a one “of the most shocking upsets in the history of [their] forecast,” – FiveThirtyEight’s election forecast showed Boebert with a 97-in-100 chance of winning. The district previously favored Republicans by 7 points and elected President Trump by a 15 point margin in 2016. Voters in the district haven’t elected a Democrat to Congress since 2008.

Frisch logged over 23,000 miles traveling the district and holding public town halls, a stark contrast to Boebert who rarely holds public events. On his final tour, he made over 100 stops in 11 days, visiting all 27 counties in the district and hitting 3 state borders. 

While Frisch received little support from national Democrats, he managed to raise over $4.3 million throughout the campaign from 55,190 individual donors, with the average donation of $50.14.