Adam Frisch
Member of the Aspen City Council
In office
2011–2019
Personal details
Born
Adam Bennett Frisch

(1967-10-01) October 1, 1967 (age 56)[1][2]
Political partyDemocratic (since 2003)
SpouseKaty Frisch
Children2
EducationUniversity of Colorado Boulder (BEc)
WebsiteCampaign website

Adam Bennett Frisch (born October 1, 1967) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party.[1] He served on the Aspen City Council from 2011 to 2019, and chaired Pitkin County's financial review committee from 2005 to 2011.[3][4][5] He was the Democratic nominee for a house seat in Colorado's 3rd congressional district against Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert, which he narrowly lost by around 534 votes or a margin of 0.16%. The narrow result was surprising to many political pundits who had expected Boebert to win by a large margin.[6][7]

In February 2023, Frisch announced his second campaign for the same seat in 2024.[8]

Early life and education

Frisch was born in 1967 to a Jewish family. Frisch's family lived on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana until he was five years old.[5] The family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota,[9] where they attended a Conservative synagogue. His father was an obstetrician-gynecologist and later worked for Planned Parenthood five years before retiring.[10] Frisch was involved in ski racing from a young age but had to give it up after sustaining an injury.[9] He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, in 1990 with a degree in economics.[4]

Early career

After college, Frisch waited tables in Manhattan before becoming a currency trader for 10 years. He has traveled extensively around the world.[11][10]

In 2003, he moved to Colorado. He chaired Pitkin County's financial review committee from 2005 to 2011. He then served on the Aspen City Council from 2011 to 2019.[3][5] During that period he was instrumental in sending a development referendum to voters, known as "Lift One", which barely passed.[12] The development project, fronted by a member of the Gorsuch family split the community, affected the credibility of the local newspaper, The Aspen Times, and raised questions about the developers.[13]

2022 U.S. House campaign

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado § District 3

In 2022, he won the Democratic nomination for a House seat in Colorado's 3rd congressional district[6] by 300 votes.[11] Frisch traveled throughout the state, covering more than 3,000 miles and visiting 102 venues during the last days of the campaign. He appealed to Colorado Western Slope's rural populations with his family's roots in the west (his great-grandfather started a cattle ranch, which remains in the family).[11] The New York Times wrote that Frisch characterized his challenger, Lauren Boebert, "as a flamethrower in an increasingly polarized Congress, who he said was more focused on placating the Republican Party's far-right Trump wing than reducing inflation and adding jobs".[14]

On the campaign trail, he repeatedly characterized Boebert as "part of the 'angertainment industry,' crediting the expression to his middle and high school buddy, current Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips".[15]

The election was the closest of national-level races in the election-cycle. Frisch led in vote-count from election night on for several weeks. It was eventually determined by a state-mandated recount on December 12 that Boebert had won by 546 votes out of more than 325,000 votes cast, or by a 0.07 percent margin.[16]

On November 18, 2022, he conceded the race and incumbent Republican challenger Boebert declared victory.[17] It was the closest race in the 2022 midterm cycle.[18] Frisch reacted to the final tally by stating, we "showed the nation that extremist politicians are not invincible".[19]

2024 U.S. House campaign

See also: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado § District 3

On February 14, 2023, Frisch announced that he would run again for the United States House of Representatives against Lauren Boebert. The Colorado Sun wrote that this would be "one of the nation's most closely watched 2024 congressional contests".[20] On April 1, Frisch received the state Democratic Party's "Rising Star" award at its Obama Gala.[21] After six weeks of campaigning, Frisch had raised $1.7 million from 48,000 donations from across the U.S. Frisch's early campaign funds were reported as a million dollars more than the $667,000 raised by Boebert in the first three months of 2023.[22] By mid-April, a poll of 3rd Congressional District voters showed Frisch and Boebert evenly matched at 45% each.[23]

Political positions

Frisch has referred to himself as a "as a pro-business, pro-energy, moderate, pragmatic Democrat", who supports legal abortion, renewable energy along with oil and gas drilling, and more water storage for the Colorado Western Slope.[12]

Following President Joe Biden announcing his student loan forgiveness plan, Frisch's campaign released a statement opposing it. Frisch also opposes widespread action on federal student debt relief.[24]

Personal life

Frisch and his wife, Katy Frisch, live in Aspen, Colorado.[10] The couple, who have two children, were married in Vail in 2003. Katy Frisch is president of the Aspen School Board.[11] Frisch's then 16-year-old son Felix Frisch was active during the 2022 campaign.[15]

Electoral history

Electoral history

2022 Colorado's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adam Frisch 25,750 42.41
Democratic Sol Sandoval 25,460 41.93
Democratic Alex Walker 9,507 15.66
Total votes 60,717 100.0
2022 Colorado's 3rd congressional district general election[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lauren Boebert (incumbent) 163,832 50.08
Democratic Adam Frisch 163,278 49.92
Total votes 327,110 100.0

References

  1. ^ a b "Adam Bennett Frisch from Aspen, Colorado". VoterRecords.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Adam Frisch for CD-3 [@adamforcolorado] (September 30, 2022). "I'm Adam Frisch. The Dem facing Lauren Boebert this Nov. I'm also facing a *gulp* big birthday tomorrow. 5⃣5⃣! This milestone is hitting me hard. Can you help cheer me up by getting me to 150k followers for my bday?! It's the only🎁I need! Follow, RT & Tap the❤️to get me there!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via Twitter.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b Sackariason, Carolyn (June 10, 2019). "The exit interview: Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch steps down after serving eight years". The Aspen Times. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Adam Frisch joins Aspen council race". The Aspen Times. March 15, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Carroll, Rick (February 17, 2022). "Aspen resident Adam Frisch declares candidacy for the Democratic nomination to unseat Rep. Lauren Boebert". Vail Daily. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Adam Frisch wins Democratic nomination for U.S. House in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District". Associated Press. June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Solender, Andrew; Habeshian, Sareen (November 18, 2022). "Democrat Adam Frisch concedes to GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert". Axios. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  8. ^ Wilson Beese (February 14, 2023). "Lauren Boebert facing 2nd challenge from Adam Frisch after narrow victory". 9NEWS (Denver).
  9. ^ a b Roberts, Michael (July 28, 2022). "Democratic Nominee Adam Frisch's Formula for Defeating Lauren Boebert". Westword. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Kassel, Matthew (June 20, 2022). "A Jewish Coloradan hopes to beat Boebert in November". Jewish Insider. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Krause, David (November 9, 2022). "Meet Adam Frisch, the candidate who shocked Lauren Boebert and his fellow Democrats". The Colorado Sun. Denver. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Who is Adam Frisch, the Democrat challenging Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District?". Colorado Public Radio News. November 9, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "Aspen's Tangled Summer Saga: The Rich Developer vs. the Local Paper". The New York Times. August 12, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Vigdor, Neil (November 18, 2022). "Lauren Boebert's Rival, Adam Frisch, Concedes Their Colorado House Race". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Mary C. Curtis (December 15, 2022). "Why a lost election left Adam Frisch (and his son) optimistic". Roll Call.
  16. ^ Erin Spillane (February 8, 2023). "Adam Frisch to speak in Telluride Saturday". Telluride Daily Planet.
  17. ^ "Lauren Boebert declares victory, Adam Frisch concedes — but a recount is still required". The Denver Post. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  18. ^ "How close were House races? A few thousand votes could have swung control". The Hill. November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  19. ^ Honderich, Holly Honderich (December 13, 2022). "US firebrand Republican Lauren Boebert wins re-election after recount". BBC News. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  20. ^ Paul, Jesse (February 14, 2023). "Adam Frisch will run again to unseat Lauren Boebert in 2024". The Colorado Sun. Denver. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "Phil Weiser, Adam Frisch among honorees at Colorado Democratic Party's annual Obama dinner". Colorado Springs Gazette. February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  22. ^ Mansfield, Erin (April 15, 2023). "Adam Frisch raising more than Lauren Boebert in bid to take Colorado seat in 2024". USA Today. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  23. ^ Neukam, Stephen (April 12, 2023). "Boebert, Democratic challenger tied ahead of possible 2024 rematch: poll". The Hill. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  24. ^ "Democratic CD-3 candidate Adam Frisch opposes 'reckless' student loan forgiveness plan". Pueblo Chieftain. August 29, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Colorado's 3rd Congressional District election, 2022". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

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