The Democratic House candidate who unexpectedly put Representative Lauren Boebert in a tough race for re-election conceded his race for Colorado’s 3rd District on Friday afternoon.
In a video discussion, Mr Frisch announced his race against Ms Boebert had come to an end. Mr Frisch said he called her to formally concede the race.
As of Friday, Ms Boebert had a 554-vote lead against Mr Frisch. The tightness of the race meant that it would go into a recount.
The Colorado Republican freshman congresswoman declared victory in a video on Thursday. But the former Aspen City Council member said he did not want the recount and that he called Ms Boebert to concede.
“We believe in the integrity of the elections in our great state of Colorado and are supportive of this recount to insure the continued faith in the security of our elections,” he said in a video conference. “However the likelihood of this recount changing more than a handful of votes is very small, very very small. It’d be disingenuous and unethical for us or any other group--any other group--to continue to raise false hope and encourage fundraising for a recount.”
The race surprised many as the district voted for former president Donald Trump in 2020 by 15 points, as Mr Frisch said, and Ms Boebert has become one of his most prominent defenders in Congress.
In addition, she has traveled across the country with Mr Trump and spoken at many of his rallies. She has also made inflammatory remarks about her colleagues, such as when she joked about Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is Muslim, blowing up the Capitol.
But Mr Frisch said that he was proud of the campaign for not engaging in mudslinging, but rather only criticising her for “not doing her job.”
“We didn’t sling mud or make up stories,” he said. Mr Frisch also noted how a large part of the district is rural and that Democrats have lost ground in rural counties since Bill Clinton’s 1996 reelection.
“The Democratic Party has slowly but surely eroded the trust of rural and working-class Americans,” he said. “Denver and DC politicians need to demonstrate an understanding of the issues that face rural America, working-class America and celebrate, not disrespect, folks across the country.”
At the same time, Mr Frisch also filed to run again in 2024, according to a statement of candidacy form to the Federal Election Commission.
