Trisha Calvarese, the Democratic contender for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, has made quite the impression by raising over half a million dollars in just the first 16 days of October, as reported by OpenSecrets.
Incumbent Representative Lauren Boebert, a Republican, announced her reelection bid in December 2023 via a Facebook video. Boebert shifted to run in the 4th District, previously represented by Ken Buck, who recently declared he wouldn’t seek another term. The 4th District is known for its strong Republican lean, holding a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+13.
In 2022, Buck had more than 60% of the vote, a drop from 74% in 2020, and the seat hasn’t seen a Democratic representative since Betsy Markey served one term after defeating Marilyn Musgrave in 2008.
Despite her ties to Donald Trump—who has endorsed her—Boebert faces a challenging race. Calvarese, on the other hand, has made substantial fundraising gains, reporting an increase of $560,000 that brings her total to $3.74 million as of October 16. While Boebert’s total stands at $4.48 million, both candidates have similar cash reserves available for their campaigns.
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Calvarese’s campaign highlighted that they received over 31,800 donations from 18,000 individual contributors during this short fundraising period.
Although House races often lack robust polling, current data from FiveThirtyEight and The Hill indicates strong support for Boebert, with no recent polls conducted since her primary win in June. The Economist’s predictive model suggests Boebert holds a significant lead, projecting her to win by a margin of +20.3 percent after analyzing various electoral factors.
As the November 5 election draws near, both parties are battling for control of the House, with Republicans trying to maintain their slim eight-seat majority. Political analysts anticipate a close race across several competitive districts, with 25 races classified as toss-ups, including eleven held by Democrats and fourteen by Republicans.