U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert will not return to Congress after voters in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District elected Democrat Eileen Laubacher to take her seat.
The Associated Press called the race at 12:53 p.m. Friday, when Laubacher received 48.8 percent of the vote to Boebert’s 47.9 percent. The AP estimated that 99% of the votes had been counted at the time.
Laubacher declared victory earlier this week, but Boebert refused to back down and stressed that votes were still being counted Wednesday to a group of reporters outside the Capitol.
Boebert said she would not work in 2028 if she loses to Laubacher. She blamed her loss on the financial support Laubacher received.
“A lot of money was thrown at my head and, I mean, I refuse to spend money again,” Boebert said. “I think it’s disgusting how much we spend on these races, and I was actually hoping to prove that seats just can’t be bought, but maybe I’ll be proven wrong. We’ll see.”
Laubacher attended orientation for new members of Congress this week.
Since launching her campaign last year, Laubacher has gained a substantial fundraising advantage over her rivals, raising more money than all other candidates from either party in the race combined.
“This victory is historic. But making history means nothing if we don’t make a difference,” Laubacher said in a statement after declaring victory Monday. “My goal is simple: reduce costs, protect health care, strengthen rural communities, fight corruption in both parties, and hold Washington accountable. »
The 4th District, which includes most of Douglas County and the Eastern Plains, was previously considered safely Republican. Some analyzes of the Boebert-Laubacher race recently placed the district in the “leans Republican” category.
National Democrats seeking to flip the district have named it a top priority in this election. The last Democrat to represent the district was former U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, elected in 2008. She served one term.
Laubacher, a first-time candidate, is a retired Navy rear admiral and former National Security Council official. She was a lifelong Republican and changed her party affiliation, first to unaffiliated, then to Democrat in 2024. She defended this action at a press conference. debate against Boebert saying that her belief in personal freedoms is currently found within the Democratic Party and that the GOP she has historically supported is “almost unrecognizable.”
Boebert, of Windsor, was first elected to represent the 3rd District on the Western Slope, but crossed state after two terms when she nearly lost re-election in 2022. She is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, but a a breakup has occurred earlier this year, when Boebert campaigned alongside incumbent Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, whom the president had targeted for leading efforts to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files last year.
Two more Colorado congressional seats previously held by Republicans were flipped to Democrats in last week’s elections as part of a “blue tsunami” that swept the state and nation. Republican Rep. Gabe Evans lost his race to Democrat Manny Rutinel in the 8th district and to Republican Rep. Jeff Crank lost his race to Democrat Jessica Killin in the 5th District. With Boebert’s defeat, the state’s congressional delegation will favor Democrats 7-1.
Thursday was the deadline for overseas and military voters to submit their ballots and for voters with signature discrepancies to remedy their ballots. County clerks have until the end of Friday to submit the vote tally.
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