Former WP Head Leader Vying for Heated Third Congressional District Spot
Travis Phelps
Across the country, many people who have hopes for high political office start small and get their feet wet with local politics before moving on to bigger and better things.
This trend has recently struck locally after former Woodland Park Mayor Hillary LaBarr announced that she will be running for Congress this November.
LaBarr announced last week that she wishes to run for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. This occurred after the often controversial Representative Lauren Boebert announced that she will be running for a seat in the 4th District. Boebert’s recent announcement has made members of the state’s Republican Party worry about losing one of the state’s safer seats in the House of Representatives to the Democrats. Their power base at the congressional level in Colorado has been diminishing in the last few years.
But on the other side of the coin, many local Republicans have rejoiced in the fact that a local conservative has chosen to fill the large shoes left by the departing congresswoman. “I am so thrilled that a beloved conservative leader from our county has chosen to fill the gap left by probably the best congresswoman this state has ever seen,” the leader of the Teller County Republicans James Smith said. “We absolutely loved Hillary as a mayor and she has our support 100 percent for her congressional campaign.”
Six years ago, LaBarr surfaced in Woodland Park as a conservative choice for city council. Before her four-year term on council ended, she was appointed mayor after the former mayor, Val Carr, tragically passed away after getting inflicted with the COVID virus.
After her appointment, LaBarr became the city’s first female mayor in its 100-plus year history. And then she became the first elected female mayor when she won the mayoral election in 2022.
Even though she was not term limited, Hillary made the decision to not run for mayor or a seat on the city council in 2024. But her recent change of heart indicates that she is not quite ready to be done with politics.
LaBarr said that after Boebert announced she wouldn’t be running for the 3rd Congressional District that encompasses a huge chunk of the state, she wanted to do what she could to save the country from the Democrats. “I just thought to myself, ‘hey Lauren Boebert and I are a lot alike,’” the former mayor said. “We are both conservative women with strong moral values and let’s face it I’m not nearly as crazy as her!”
Boebert had originally planned to run in the 4th Congressional district, another wild race capped by the sudden departure of Rep. Ken Buck. A record number of candidates may appear on the primary ballot for this seat, according to recent news reports. The congresswoman, though, who has been frequently in the news in the lst few months regarding a spout of domestic conflicts and instances with her ex-husband, including getting removed from a major Colorado theatrical performance, now has applied to be sent to the moon for an experimental project.
But meanwhile back in Teller County, LaBarr has already ramped up her campaign and she is ready to jump into the field of congressional candidates. LaBarr already started collecting signatures and is only three and a half John Hancock’s away from getting on the ballot.
LaBarr plans to start a tour of the state soon with her mascot, Johnny the Chihuahua. The former mayor will be speaking at various places (mainly dive bars and marijuana dispensaries) across Colorado to try to get support for her dream of serving on the U.S. Congress.
She said that once she gets elected she is going to work hard for Colorado and fight for the rural way of life. She said the first thing on her agenda when she makes it to Washington, D.C. is to use her vast knowledge of law to teach her colleagues about the Constitution and proper meeting procedures.
LaBarr said that since she is incredibly rich she doesn’t need donations, but those who want to support her campaign should show up at every event she goes to with their dogs or other pets.
Happy April Fools Day!
