Adam Frisch, the Democrat seeking a rematch against Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, raised more than $1.7 million in the first quarter for his 2024 bid in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, his campaign said Thursday.
The former Aspen City Council member received nearly 50,000 individual donations between announcing his run on Feb. 14 and the end of the reporting period on March 31, his campaign told Colorado Politics.
He plans to report donors from all 50 states and all 27 counties in the sprawling district, which covers most of the Western Slope, Pueblo County and Southern Colorado, a campaign spokeswoman said.
Boebert narrowly defeated Frisch for a second term last year in what turned out to be the closest congressional race in the county, winning by just 546 votes out of more than 325,000 ballots cast.
“I am incredibly humbled by the generosity of the tens of thousands of individuals who contributed to our campaign to bring decency and common sense back to Colorado’s 3rd district,” Frisch said in a statement.
“These remarkable fundraising numbers reflect what we’re hearing on the campaign trail — that voters from across the political spectrum are sick and tired of Boebert’s angertainment circus and are ready for a representative who will work across the aisle to find solutions to the problems facing their families, their businesses, and their communities.”
A Frisch spokeswoman said the campaign received a donation every 82 seconds for the 46 days in the three-month quarter, with donations averaging just under $36 apiece.
The sum appears to be a record for off-year fundraising by a challenger in a Colorado congressional race.
The Democrat plans to report $1.3 million cash on hand at the end of the quarter. Reports covering the period are due to the Federal Election Commission by April 15.
Boebert's campaign didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included Boebert on a list released earlier this week of targeted Republicans considered vulnerable by the House Democrats' campaign arm. In February, House Republicans put Boebert at the top its own list of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in next year's election.
Once considered a swing district, its voters haven't elected a Democrat since three-term U.S. Rep. John Salazar lost a bid for reelection in 2010.
Also this week, Rocky Mountain Values, a well-funded, left-leaning nonprofit that spent the 2020 cycle hammering Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, announced that it was reviving itself to target Boebert.
Boebert, who has yet to release her first quarter fundraising totals, finished 2022 with about $770,000 in the bank, a little over twice the $365,000 Frisch had left over, according to year-end FEC reports.
In the last cycle, Boebert raised $7.85 million — the most reported by any Colorado House candidate — and Frisch raised $6.7 million.
Frisch is counting on a more Democratic-friendly electorate in next year's presidential election, but he doesn't have his party's nomination sewn up.
Gunnison veterinarian Debby Burnett, one of 12 Democrats who ran in the district last year, has also filed paperwork to campaign for the seat.
Boebert and Frisch both faced primaries last year. Boebert defeated former state Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, by a wide margin, and Frisch won the nomination narrowly over Pueblo community organizer Sol Sandoval.
Editor's note: This developing story will be updated.
