According to sources, a Colorado Democrat who planned to run against Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in 2022 has paused her campaign funding due to proposed revisions to the state’s congressional map that would relocate the Democrat’s properties outside of Boebert’s 3rd Congressional District.
Kerry Donovan resides in Vail and owns a ranch in nearby Wolcott, neither of which would be included in the state’s amended congressional map, which is now awaiting approval from the state Supreme Court, according to FOX 31 of Denver.
Following the release of 2020 U.S. Census data, the state’s Redistricting Commission redrawn and approved the map, which resulted in Colorado gaining an eighth seat in the U.S. House, up from the current seven. The seven districts have to be rearranged to make room for eight.
Donovan complained in a statement released Monday that the redistricting had made the 3rd district “more Republican,” which she called “an odd change given that Colorado has grown much more Democratic since the last redistricting process 10 years ago.”
According to The Associated Press, Donovan, a state senator facing term limits, has raised about $1.2 million for her U.S. House campaign, while Boebert has raised about $1.8 million.
The state’s 3rd Congressional District encompasses majority of the state’s western and southern regions.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Republican Party argued that the redesigned map makes House contests more competitive, and that the redistricting panel’s process was satisfactory, according to FOX 31.
According to reports earlier this month, Boebert’s home would be moved to a Democrat-controlled district as part of the plan.
Members of Congress are obligated to live in the states they represent by the United States Constitution, but they are not compelled to live in their own districts. However, living outside of a legislator’s district exposes them to easy criticism, hence many prefer to stay in their areas.
Donovan said in her statement that the state’s proposed new design makes districts less competitive, making incumbents, whether Democrats or Republicans, more likely to keep their House seats, and that the addition of an 8th member will likely result in a 4-4 split between the parties in 2022.
She asserted that a division like this would not reflect “the will of the voters” in a “increasingly blue state.”
“I can’t in good conscience continue to raise money from hardworking Americans for a campaign that lacks, for the time at least, a clear way ahead,” the Democrat said, adding that she was stopping her fundraising until the state Supreme Court rules on the revised map.
Donovan is presently a state senator, representing the 5th District of the state.
According to FOX 31, the state Supreme Court has until November 1 to approve the new plan or order the Redistricting Commission to make more revisions.
(With inputs from FOX News and Associated Press)
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The Chenab Times News Desk