A super PAC has aired an attack ad spotlighting Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert’s removal from a theater during a performance of the musical Beetlejuice in 2023. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC disclosed in a Federal Election Commission filing that it spent $1.5 million on ads opposing Boebert, who is running for reelection in the upcoming midterms.
Newsweek reached out to both the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC and Boebert’s campaign and office for comments via email.
Boebert, along with a male companion, was removed from a Denver performance of Beetlejuice due to disruptive behavior. CCTV footage later surfaced showing her vaping and the two groping each other. Additional footage captured Boebert being escorted from the theater, during which she made a rude gesture toward an employee.
The new attack ad featured clips from the CCTV footage and media headlines from that time. The narrator states, “Beetlejuice is the ‘80s family classic and the show Lauren Boebert was removed from for inappropriate conduct in a room full of children.” The narrator further adds, “Costs are rising in Colorado and political leaders are letting us down. If Lauren Boebert can’t be responsible in a room full of kids, she can’t be trusted in the halls of Congress.”
Boebert apologized for the Beetlejuice incident, admitting she “did not live up to my values.” She explained she was experiencing a “public and difficult divorce” which contributed to a “challenging personal time” for her and her family.
It’s unclear if the PAC invested the full $1.5 million in ads focusing on Boebert’s Beetlejuice controversy or if they produced other content regarding Boebert. The ad is the PAC’s sole Boebert-related content listed by Google Ads Transparency Center.
The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean-energy-focused super PAC, previously announced plans to spend $15 million to defeat Republicans opposing renewable energy incentives in seven U.S. House races, including Boebert. Their ads generally spotlight vulnerabilities in lawmakers’ records rather than clean energy issues. For example, ads targeting Indiana Representative Victoria Spartz concentrated on her healthcare record and claimed misuse of her office for personal benefit.
Boebert is facing off against Democrat Eileen Laubacher in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, with recent polling data indicating the Republican in the lead.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Tony Phillips.