Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., voiced opposition to the war in Iran during a Monday debate, when she was pressed on whether the military conflict has been worth the cost to the American people.
“I never wanted us to be at war in Iran,” Boebert said. “This has been detrimental on many levels.”
The Colorado Republican stood firmly behind the president’s authority, however.
“I also will stand by and say that President Trump is the commander-in-chief, and he is not the first president to use force through his powers as commander-in-chief,” she said. “I do agree that this is expensive, and I hear from Republicans, unaffiliated and Democrats that they want this to come to an end, and so do I.”
Republicans are facing an uphill climb heading into the midterm elections as public frustration mounts over the Middle East conflict and the pressure it has put on global energy markets.
The national average price for regular gasoline climbed to roughly $4.34 per gallon on Tuesday, a jump of more than 40 percent compared to a year ago, according to AAA. A CNN and SSRS poll conducted last month found that 64 percent of Americans surveyed believe the U.S. is not winning the military operation against Tehran, which has now dragged on for more than seven months.
During the debate, 9News moderator Kyle Clark asked Boebert what Congress was doing to help bring the war to an end.
“We are having conversations with the Department of War and with the president and his administration on a regular basis about how to come to an end with this,” Boebert responded.
She also took aim at efforts from the left.
“A symbolic, procedural vote put on by progressive Democrats is not going to be the answer and to give Iran a clear end date so then they can do something afterwards,” she said.
Boebert’s Democratic challenger, retired Navy Rear Adm. Eileen Laubacher, went on the attack, hammering the GOP incumbent for refusing to support war powers resolutions in the House aimed at pushing the Trump administration to wrap up the conflict.
“Your job is to vote whether or not you think the war should continue, and Ms. Boebert has voted now I believe five times to keep this war going,” Laubacher said.
“And so, you can say all day long that you don’t want there to be war and you want it to draw to a close, but you’re not using your voice to raise the voices of the people you describe in Congressional District 4 who are opposed to this war,” the Democratic nominee added.
“Your job is to be their voice in Congress, their voice to the president, saying we do not want this war, and you are failing to do that,” Laubacher said.
Boebert is seeking reelection in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, a reliably Republican seat for more than a decade. The district is home to a large farming and ranching community, a group that has grown increasingly skeptical of the Trump administration’s tariffs.
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