Electability is driving the debate in 4th District congressional races

The prime-time race in the 4th Congressional District is focused on a simple question: Who can win in November?

The big picture: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert , who moved to the 4th District amid concerns she would lose her re-election bid in the 3rd District, is the most recognized candidate because of her controversial brand, but her rivals contend switching districts doesn't make her more electable.

Zoom in: The 4th District is the most Republican in the state, stretching into Douglas County in the Denver Metro area and encompassing the Eastern Plains.

• But internal Democratic polls suggest it's a tight race with nearly half the district's voters unaffiliated with the major parties and the bulk living in suburban areas that lean more moderate.

The intrigue: Rival Deborah Flora, a conservative radio talk show host, is sounding the alarm. She recently said Boebert "can't continue to run from her drama and divisive antics" and cost the party a seat in Congress.

• "I do think it is vulnerable. I think the day of, 'That will never happen in Colorado,' is long gone," she added in a congressional debate that aired Thursday on 9News.

Case in point: Instead, Flora is pitching a return to a "big tent" Republican Party where "we can persuade our neighbors that we don't see them as the enemy. We see them as someone we want to represent and help solve the issues that are important to them."

Other candidates, notably Jerry Sonnenberg and Peter Yu, are tracking with a similar message that they want to join Congress to solve problems, not get attention.

• Sonnenberg, a former state lawmaker with a reputation for negotiating with Democrats, is fond of the slogan, "I'm not a show horse, I'm a workhorse."

The other side: The same conversation is driving the debate in the Democratic primary.

• Each of the three candidates — Trisha Calvarese, a former congressional staffer; John Padora, an addiction recovery advocate; and Ike McCorkle, a former Marine — are highlighting their biographies as a way to connect with voters, the Colorado Sun reports.

Between the lines: Calvarese says her time living in rural southwestern Pennsylvania gives her credibility with rural, conservative voters in the district, while Padora emphasized his work in manufacturing plants.

• "I'm the only candidate here who's continually worked blue-collar jobs, and knows the struggles that that community faces," he said at a virtual forum last week.
• McCorkle leaned on his military experience. "This [primary election] will determine whether or not we win the fight against these MAGA extremists who threaten our democracy, that so many of my brothers and sisters and Marines died defending," he said.

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