Democrat Laubacher Defeats Boebert In Colorado

Democrat Eileen Laubacher defeated incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District on Monday, ending the Republican’s tenure in a district that has elected only one Democrat in the past 53 years. Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral and former Republican, secured the win with 48.8% of the vote against Boebert’s 47.9%. The final margin stood at 3,237 votes, a figure well above the 929-vote threshold required to trigger an automatic recount.

The Associated Press called the race for Laubacher on Monday afternoon after 98% of ballots were counted. Only a small number of military and overseas votes remained to be processed. Laubacher stated that she intended to continue serving the people by listening to them and making changes that improve their lives. She noted that Boebert had not yet called to concede, and the incumbent’s staff had not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Laubacher, who moved to Highlands Ranch two years ago, described herself as a moderate who does not align with the more radical wing of the Democratic Party. She said she would work with lawmakers across the aisle to pass meaningful legislation, including rolling back tariffs, ending the war in Iran, and cracking down on corruption. On Monday, she was in Washington, D.C., participating in new member orientation while the final votes were tallied.

Boebert’s defeat follows a falling out with President Donald Trump. Trump had publicly questioned her loyalty in May, calling her weak-minded and a carpetbagger, before endorsing her three days before the election as a MAGA Warrior. Boebert had previously broken with the president by supporting the release of Jeffrey Epstein files and criticizing his veto of a bipartisan rural water bill. That bill would have funded a pipeline to bring clean water to 50,000 residents in southeast Colorado.

The race marked a shift in Colorado politics as a blue wave swept through the state. Laubacher carried the more urban and populous corners of the district, including Douglas and Arapahoe counties. Boebert led in most rural counties, including Weld. The 4th District, which spans the Eastern Plains and parts of metro Denver, had leaned 27 percentage points toward Republicans earlier in the decade. Laubacher significantly outraised Boebert during the campaign, leading the Cook Political Report to recategorize the district from solid Republican to leans Republican in late October.

A Libertarian candidate, Doug Mangeris, received just over 12,600 votes in the three-way race. Mangeris, a commercial construction superintendent from Loveland, said he preferred Boebert to Laubacher but believed neither major party was serving the country’s interests. His vote total exceeded the margin of victory between the two major candidates. His mother, campaign treasurer Lori Korman, said she saw no campaign mailers or yard signs for Boebert in their Loveland neighborhood during the final weeks of the race.

Boebert had moved to the 4th District two years ago after nearly losing her seat in the Western Slope’s 3rd District. She had won the 3rd District seat in 2019 after challenging longtime Republican incumbent Scott Tipton. During her two terms in the 3rd District, she helped pass legislation to protect four threatened and endangered native fish species. She also led the CONVEY Act, which directed the Bureau of Land Management to sell a 31-acre parcel in Clifton to Mesa County for economic development. Officials will continue counting the remaining ballots until Thursday, allowing voters with signature discrepancies to cure their ballots by that deadline.