'Pistol Packing Mama' in Col-3 to Newsmax: 'My Opponent Is Another Bernie Sanders'

Four months after she unseated Rep. Scott Tipton in the Republican primary in Colorado's 3rd District, swashbuckling conservative Lauren Boebert is now locked in a tight contest with liberal Democrat and educator Diane Mitsch Bush.

Boebert, 33, has received considerable national publicity as a true-to-life "pistol packing mama" famed for running the Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado — it's true! — where the help carry firearms openly.

"And my opponent is another Bernie Sanders," Boebert told Newsmax between campaign stops last Friday, explaining that Bush supports universal healthcare ("just like Bernie"), the Green New Deal, and "she's anti-fossil fuel."

"And while the United Steel Workers union supports her, the individual steel workers here are for me," Boebert told us. "They know very well what her 'progressive' agenda would do to their industry." 

The Republican hopeful also pointed out that she and her opponent differ on Proposition 115, the statewide initiative that would ban abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy unless the life of the mother is threatened.

"This would effectively end full-term abortions," said self-styled "strongly pro-life" Boebert, adding that she supports the measure and Bush opposes it.

Regarding President Donald Trump. Boebert told us without hesitation: "I love this man. I want to do all I can to see he is successful in his second term."

Much of the national press has reported that Boebert is a follower of the conspiracy theory known as QAnon.

"I'm not a follower and I don't know much about them," she told us. Boebert recalled how during an appearance with a web talk show host who supported QAnon, she said, "I hope that this is real because it only means America is getting stronger and better."

"I should have simply said I never heard of it," said Boebert. "But I had been talking to my mom the day before and we discussed the Deep State." Her hope, she explained, was that there was someone within government exposing the Deep State and, if this were true, this would be good. 

"If there is any conspiracy, it is that this label [QAnon] is something the liberal media wants to pin on as many Republican candidates as it can," she said. "It's right out of the Democratic playbook."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.