Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher has defeated Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert to win Colorado's 4th Congressional District seat, with the Associated Press calling the race at 1 p.m. on Friday, more than a week after Election Day.
With more than 99 percent of ballots counted, Laubacher had 48.8 percent of the vote to Boebert's 47.9 percent, a margin of about 3,362 votes, according to the Associated Press. The result is a stunning upset in a district considered the state's reddest seat, one President Donald Trump carried by 18 points in 2024. Boebert was the latest Republican wipeout from a blue wave that will drastically change the next Congress, and she is the third Republican House member from Colorado to lose a reelection race this cycle.
Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral who lives in Highlands Ranch, declared victory on Monday afternoon while she was at the U.S. Capitol for new member orientation. A former registered Republican who served on former President Joe Biden's National Security Council, she campaigned on listening to all corners of the district, especially rural areas where Democrats have not fared well.
"I think that the reason that the district picked me is because they want someone who is going to show up for them day in and day out," Laubacher said. "To me, what makes the difference between someone who is successful in Congress is making sure that they are rooted in their district and care deeply about the needs of people and view this job with the seriousness of service."
Boebert told Scripps News she will not run for the seat in 2028. First elected in 2020 in Colorado's 3rd District, she won reelection by only 546 votes in 2022 before switching to the more Republican-heavy 4th District in 2024 and winning there. She will leave Congress having served three terms. Trump endorsed Boebert days before the election, calling her "a MAGA Warrior." Her campaign lawyer alleged "unusual voting patterns" last week and said he expected the race to head to a recount.
When the district lines were drawn in 2021, Republicans had, on average, a 25-point advantage in the 4th District, which covers the Eastern Plains and parts of the Front Range. A Democrat was last elected in the district in 2008 and served only one term.
