Lauren Boebert was dodging foam pool noodles in one of her final campaign appearances

Lauren Boebert danced in red stilettos down a gauntlet of Republicans wielding foam pool noodles in a faux “American Gladiator” event during one of the more surreal moments of a final campaign appearance Thursday – before voters in a district she’s just moved to decide whether they want her representing them in Congress.

Her opponent in Colorado’s 4th congressional district, Richard Holtorf, pawed the ground with his foot before revving up to run the same gauntlet at full speed – presumably in a nod to the livestock his family has reared for three generations. He’d ditched his trademark cowboy hat for a “Freedom” baseball cap.

The two congressional hopefuls participated in the good-natured pool noodle run during the candidate forum of Douglas County Republicans’ Freedom Fellowship – a “Christian, conservative group,” attendees were told during a starting address. “All are welcome here, but in this group we try to advance Christian, conservative principles here in Douglas County.”

The vibe was friendly, raucous and unabashedly conservative on Thursday in the event room at Blue Spruce Brewery in Centennial, just over 10 miles southeast of downtown Denver. (Denver and its liberal voting bloc were favorite verbal punching bags all night.)

Boebert and Holtorf, who will face an additional four candidates in next week’s Republican primary for the CD4 seat, appeared alongside seven other GOP hopefuls running for different state and local offices. The forum was recorded by a phone camera mounted on an overturned bucket atop a table.

In another surreal moment, proceedings began with a prayer as Justin Timberlake’s What Goes Around Comes Around played over brewery loudspeakers before the volume was adequately lowered. Then those