Lauren Boebert Loses Colorado House Seat to Democrat Eileen Laubacher
Lauren Boebert Loses Colorado House Seat to Democrat Eileen Laubacher
Democrat Eileen Laubacher defeated Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District on Friday, ousting one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent allies in Congress and flipping one of the reddest House seats in the country.
The Associated Press called the race at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, with Laubacher leading 48.8 percent to Boebert’s 47.9 percent and an estimated 99 percent of votes counted. Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, finished with 186,218 votes to Boebert’s 182,856, a margin of about 3,362 votes. Libertarian candidate Douglas Mangeris took 3.3 percent.
A Stunning Upset in the State’s Reddest Seat
The result is one of the most surprising outcomes of the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans carried the 4th District by more than 18 percentage points in 2024, and when the district lines were drawn in 2021, Republicans held an average advantage of about 25 points. A Democrat had not won the seat since 2008, and that winner served only one term.
The district covers Colorado’s Eastern Plains along with parts of the Front Range counties of Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer and Weld. Its population center is Douglas County, a Republican stronghold that has slowly been trending toward purple. Laubacher, who lives in Highlands Ranch, won Douglas County by about 11 percentage points.
Laubacher declared victory on Monday afternoon while she was at the U.S. Capitol for new member orientation. “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,” she told Colorado Public Radio. “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 had not conceded as of Friday afternoon. She told Colorado Public Radio on Monday evening, “We’ll see what happens Friday and we’ll accept whatever outcome is presented.” She also told Scripps News she will not run for the seat in 2028.
“We Collectively Failed”
Boebert acknowledged the scale of the Republican losses as she returned to the Capitol this week. “We collectively failed,” she said. “It’s very clear. The American people let us know we have failed in this governing experience for this Congress.”
She framed her own defeat as part of a broader voter backlash rather than a judgment on her personally. “Republicans need to listen to voters, not political pundits and consultants,” she told Colorado Public Radio. “I wish that more of us could have been listened to by our own leadership here at times. We are the ones who are with the voters each and every day.”
Laubacher is the third Republican member of Congress from Colorado to lose reelection this cycle. Her win leaves Colorado’s U.S. House delegation favoring Democrats 7-1, and adds to a Democratic wave that has already seen Democrats win control of Congress in the 2026 midterms.
How the Race Flipped
Democrats added the district to their “in-play” target list in August, although the seat was considered a stretch. The party was helped by economic headwinds facing Republicans going into the midterms, especially diesel prices and tariffs hitting rural voters, and by a strong candidate with equally strong fundraising.
Laubacher, a married mother of five who homeschooled some of her children, is a former registered Republican who became unaffiliated before registering as a Democrat shortly before deciding to run. Her background fit the mold of moderate Democratic candidates with national security backgrounds who have won elections during Trump’s tenure, including Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who won his seat in 2018.
Her campaign focused on listening to voters across the district, especially in rural areas where Democrats have not fared well, and on affordability. She criticized Boebert’s support for the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes Medicaid cuts she said would hurt rural hospitals, and faulted Boebert for backing Trump’s broad tariff policies and his decision to launch a war against Iran, which she said raised costs for voters. She also pointed to Boebert’s past votes against veterans bills, including the PACT Act.
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In the candidates’ only debate in October, Boebert leveled several accusations against Laubacher, many without proof, including claims that Laubacher was responsible for the floating Gaza pier, worked as a foreign agent for Saudi Arabia and was involved in a cover-up of the Hunter Biden laptop. Laubacher disputed each one, saying she worked on South Asia while at President Joe Biden’s National Security Council, not on Gaza, and that her post-Navy consulting work involved Maui rebuilding and a company that never got off the ground, neither involving Saudi Arabia.
Boebert’s Tumultuous Tenure
Boebert burst onto the political scene in 2020 when she defeated incumbent GOP Rep. Scott Tipton in the Republican primary in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers western and southern Colorado. Her tenure began with the January 6 riot at the Capitol, and she nearly lost her seat in 2022, winning reelection by only 546 votes after a recount.
After the end of her marriage, a viral video of a date in which she was asked to leave a Denver performance of Beetlejuice in 2023, and a serious primary challenge, she moved across the state from Rifle to Windsor and ran for the 4th District seat. She cleared a wide primary field and won, although by a far smaller margin than her predecessors.
Her time in Congress was marked by frequent breaks with her own party. She signed a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files, and was called to the White House Situation Room in an effort to have her take her name off the petition, which she refused to do. Trump later made his first veto of his second term on a Boebert bill, and this past spring said on social media he was open to a primary challenger, describing her at different times as a “carpet bagger,” “weak-minded” and “dumb.”
What Happens Next
Friday was the deadline for Colorado counties to complete their initial vote counts, and counties have until November 25 to review and certify their results. Under Colorado law, an automatic recount is required only when the margin between the top two candidates is no more than 0.5 percent of the winner’s vote total. Laubacher’s margin of about 3,362 votes is well above that threshold, so no automatic recount is triggered, although Boebert’s campaign has raised the possibility of requesting one.
Laubacher is expected to join the new Congress when it convenes in January 2027. Her victory, alongside other Democratic gains such as the Mississippi Senate race won by Democrat Scott Colom, underscores how far the Democratic wave reached in districts Republicans had long considered safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Eileen Laubacher?
Laubacher is a retired Navy rear admiral and former registered Republican who served on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council working on South Asia. She is a married mother of five from Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
How close was the race?
Laubacher led Boebert 48.8 percent to 47.9 percent, a margin of about 3,362 votes, with an estimated 99 percent of votes counted when the Associated Press called the race on Friday.
Has Lauren Boebert conceded?
Not as of Friday afternoon. She told Colorado Public Radio on Monday that she would “accept whatever outcome is presented” on Friday, and told Scripps News she will not run for the seat in 2028.
When does Laubacher take office?
Laubacher is expected to take the oath of office when the new Congress convenes in January 2027, after Colorado counties certify their results by November 25.
The Associated Press called the race for Laubacher on Friday afternoon, ending Boebert’s bid for a fourth term and removing one of the most recognizable voices of the MAGA movement from the House. With certification due by November 25, attention now turns to whether Boebert’s campaign will seek a recount — and to how Laubacher, a former Republican turned Democrat, governs a district that had not sent a Democrat to Washington in nearly two decades.
Sources: Associated Press; Colorado Public Radio; Democracy Docket; Political.org.
