Republican panel’s selection to be Rep. Buck’s likely replacement is a saving grace for Boebert

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. DENVER — A Colorado Republican panel made a surprising decision Thursday night, choosing a former mayor, Greg Lopez, to be U.S. Rep. Ken Buck’s likely replacement until the November general election, a saving grace for Rep. Lauren Boebert’s bid for another term in Congress. That tension was palpable throughout the six-hour meeting with six votes on Thursday, which winnowed the field in the special election for Buck’s seat to two options, Lopez and former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, one of Boebert’s stiffest primary competitors. Boebert sent a letter to delegates prior to the meeting encouraging them to choose a placeholder, so as not to “influence the regular primary election in a way that would taint the entire process and give this candidate an unfair leg up.” That riled her primary opponents, including former state Sen. Ted Harvey. The move incited grumblings about political maneuvering, with some of Boebert’s homegrown primary opponents accusing her of “carpetbagging.” She defended the move by saying her voice is still needed in Congress and her exodus from the old district makes it easier for Republicans to retain the seat, and therefore their majority in the U.S. House.