The debate, on Tuesday, September 3, at the Club at Ravenna in Littleton, was the only one Boebert has committed to thus far — and that seems unlikely to change. After leaving the stage, Boebert rebuked Calvarese's repeated calls to have multiple public televised debates.
"My opponent had her debate today. Apparently, she's feeling that she didn't do very well if she's already looking for the second," Boebert told reporters. "I debate Democrats on a daily basis; it's my job. Right now, I am focused on Coloradans and how to improve the quality of their lives. ... I'm going to continue doing what I do best, and that's getting out on the road and in front of voters to hear from them directly."
Calvarese took a shot at Boebert last week, suggesting a debate at the Buell Theatre — where Boebert was infamously ejected for disruptive behavior during a showing of Beetlejuice. Surveillance footage of the incident showed the congresswoman vaping inside the theater, groping her date and flipping off staff.
"If she doesn't like the venue that I proposed, we can be flexible with that," Calvarese told reporters on Tuesday. "This was the beginning of what I think is a job interview for all of our constituents. I'm calling on her to a TV debate so that we can reach all the folks in CD4. ... I trust that she's not going to duck it. She's a pretty tough contender, so I sincerely look forward to debating."
Tuesday's debate was not televised and cost money to attend. Several dozen people were present for the brief 45-minute event, with the candidates given ninety seconds to answer each question and 45 additional seconds to respond to their opponent's answer. The debate was sponsored by the Douglas County Economic Development Corporation, Colorado Politics and the Denver Gazette.
Lauren Boebert (left) and Trisha Calvarese's brief debate on September 3 will probably be their only one.
Hannah Metzger
Boebert's Voting Record Under Scrutiny
Calvarese repeatedly criticized Boebert's voting record throughout the debate. This included the congresswoman's opposition to the PACT Act expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, a proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, and Boebert's absence during a vote to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling."She might say one thing, she might vote one way, but her parliamentary tricks are not fooling anyone," Calvarese said after the debate. "She has voted against veterans, she's voted against farmers, she's voted against our district multiple times, and I think that was clear."
Boebert defended her past votes, saying the bills she opposed often included multiple subjects, some of which she had issues with. For example, the prescription drug negotiation policy was included in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was the nation's largest-ever investment in clean energy and climate action.
"I am very proud of my voting record," Boebert said. "As I have spent three and a half years in Washington, D.C., it has always been a priority for me to get legislation right. Not just that it's quick, but that it actually benefits the folks that I am looking to support and help. ... I will always advocate to get good language in any bill; however, if we have something at the end of the day that is not something I said I will ultimately support, I'm not going to vote for it."
Boebert, a second-term congresswoman, currently represents Congressional District 3 but entered the race for CD4 in December after former congressman Ken Buck decided not to run for reelection. She faced a tougher reelection bid in CD3 after winning the 2022 race by only 546 votes over her Democratic opponent, Adam Frisch, who is running again in CD3.
Calvarese, a labor activist and speechwriter, poked fun at Boebert's recent move during the debate; Calvarese is from Highlands Ranch and attended Highlands Ranch High School.
"You might not know that — that's a public school up the street," Calvarese said to Boebert during the debate, to chuckles from the audience.
Democratic challenger Trisha Calvarese wanted the debate to take place at the Buell Theatre, where Boebert was infamously ejected for disruptive behavior during a showing of Beetlejuice.
Hannah Metzger
Uphill Battle for a Democratic Candidate
Calvarese is banking on her status as a "hometown candidate" to win the election, but she faces a major uphill battle. CD4 is even more Republican-dominated than Boebert's previous district. CD3 favors Republicans by 9.3 percent, compared to 26.6 percent for CD4, according to an analysis of election results between 2016 and 2020. The 4th District hasn't elected a Democrat to the House of Representatives since 2008.An indication of the district's hesitancy to vote blue: Calvarese lost a bid to fill Buck's vacancy in June, with Republican Greg Lopez beating her in a special election to complete Buck’s term. Lopez won with over 58 percent of the votes; Calvarese received under 35 percent.
Boebert emphasized her Republican status during the debate, centering the presidential election by praising former president Donald Trump and knocking President Joe Biden and Vice President/presidential candidate Kamala Harris, at one point joking about Biden being unable to "find his pen" to sign legislation. (Shortly after Biden dropped out of the presidential election in July, Boebert posted on X demanding "proof of life" of the current president.)
The congresswoman repeatedly called to decrease government spending and regulations, and echoed far-right talking points about "[taking] our country back" and rejecting support for "illegal aliens."
"Ultimately, I want less government in your life, and the Democrat, as usual, wants more government intervention in your life," Boebert said after the debate.
In a rapid-fire question round, Boebert and Calvarese disagreed on various policies, including adjusting the federal corporate tax rate (Boebert wants to lower it, Calvarese wants to keep it the same); raising the federal minimum wage (Boebert opposes raising it, Calvarese wants to increase it to $15); and renewing Trump-era tax cuts for individual taxpayers (Boebert says she supports extending them all, Calvarese says it's case-by-case).
The rivals found some common ground, though. Both expressed support for exempting tips from taxes and prohibiting foreign entities from buying farmland in the U.S. In addition, both said they oppose replacing any part of Social Security guaranteed benefits with individual investment agreements.
The election will take place on November 5. Ballots will start being mailed to voters on October 11. Keep an eye on our Election topic page for all of our latest coverage.
