March 11, 2024 03:13 PM UTC

"MAGA King" Trent Leisy Bows Out of CO-04 Primary

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• by: Colorado Pols

The overcrowded clown car of Republican candidates vying for the nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Ken Buck, a field featuring carpetbagging fellow incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert against former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and a gaggle of also-rans, is shedding one of its more colorful entries, “MAGA King” Trent Leisy, who filed today to run instead for fellow CO-04 candidate Rep. Mike Lynch’s state house seat:

After Donald Trump’s endorsement of Boebert, Leisy, whose whole campaign was essentially a piggyback on Trump’s brand, had no logical reason to continue. Although Boebert might theoretically benefit from less competition for the MAGA vote, the more significant beneficiary of Leisy’s departure is Sonnenberg–who needs the other dead-end candidates in the race to follow Leisy’s example if Boebert is to be prevented to winning the nomination with a small plurality. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be Sonnenberg, either, if another candidate could show the same level of support. So far that hasn’t happened, and time is quickly running out for these trends to change.

We’ll be watching for the next moment of clarity. And if Leisy does make it to the state house, he’ll join the outer limits of the Republican micro-minority fringe.