Kyrsten Sinema gets first GOP challenger in AZ Senate race | Poll shows Lauren Boebert is in trouble | Denver students demand action on gun violence | Sen Michael Bennet and Rep Joe Neguse speak out against Utah rail project that would send daily oil trains through Colorado communities | Gipsy Kings announce Renaissance tour kickoff in DenverSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let’s get into it: ARIZONA MIRROR:AZ Sen Kyrsten Sinema gets her first Republican challengerBY: JEROD MACDONALD-EVOY - APRIL 11, 2023 1:25 PMRepublican Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb is the first Republican to enter the 2024 contest, but is unlikely to be the last. Sinema, who won in 2018 as a Democrat but last year left the party to become an independent, has already drawn a challenge from Democratic Congressman U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Phoenix.Mark Lamb was first elected sheriff of Pinal County in 2016, and since then has regularly appeared on far-right fringe media outlets.Lamb has partnered with groups like True the Vote that have pursued far-flung conspiracy theories of election fraud and lied to law enforcement. Lamb has also railed against vaccines, and is part of a right-wing group that call themselves the “constitutional sheriffs.”  Led by former Graham County Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack, the Constitutional Sheriffs are a sovereign-citizen group that believes a “New World Order” is aiming to take away guns — and that sheriffs are on the frontlines of stopping “election fraud.” The group takes a favorable view of armed citizen militias, including militias that are active along Arizona’s border with Mexico, and some whose leaders were at the Jan. 6 riot. Lamb is also a favorite of QAnon conspiracy theorists, signing a copy of a book for a QAnon influencer with the QAnon slogan “WWG1WGA.”Lamb has appeared on a number of QAnon-related shows, as well, including one with a history of antisemitic comments. TruNews has published antisemitic rhetoric on its site, including a piece in which founder Rick Wiles spent an hour and a half saying that “seditious Jews” were “orchestrating” to impeach Trump, and calling Jewish people “tyrants.” Wiles has also claimed that the anti-Christ will be a “homosexual Jew.” He was interviewed by Lauren Witzke and, during an episode in which Sheriff Lamb also appeared, Wiles said that Jews “squash” and “crush” people. Witzke is a conspiracy theorist and has echoed white nationalist beliefs herself. During an appearance on the white nationalist podcast No White Guilt, Witzke echoed the racist “great replacement” theory. Lamb supported Lauren Witzke when she ran for U.S. Senate in Delaware, and has also echoed the “great replacement” theory on another QAnon talk show.Lamb is likely to be joined by other GOP contenders in the Senate race, with Kari Lake and Blake Masters two of the most-watched. COLORADO NEWSLINE: Poll shows Lauren Boebert is in troubleBY: SARA WILSON - APRIL 11, 2023 1:19 PMIf the 2024 election were held today, 45% of voters would choose Democrat Adam Frisch, and 45% would choose Boebert, according to findings from a poll released Tuesday.Among voters who knew of both Adam Frisch and Lauren Boebert, Frisch led by 19 percentage points.The poll, conducted by progressive organizations ProgressNow Colorado and Global Strategy Group, surveyed 600 likely voters in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and has a 4.4% margin of error.Among Republicans wh