Republican Representative Lauren Boebert lost her re-election bid in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District on Friday defeated by Democrat Eileen Laubacher in a tight race called by the Associated Press.
With 99 percent of the vote counted, Laubacher secured 48.8 percent of the ballots, equivalent to 187,488 votes, while Boebert finished at 47.9 percent with 184,047 votes.
The defeat changes the political direction of one of the state's most reliably conservative districts. Boebert, who relocated to the 4th District in 2023 after narrowly winning re-election in her previous western district, had won her seat there by more than 11 percentage points during the 2024 cycle. Yet, even this more conservative constituency could not protect her from the nationwide surge enjoyed by Democrats this year.
Laubacher is a retired two-star U.S. Navy rear admiral who served for 34 years in a variety of intelligence and command positions, before joining the Biden administration as the National Security Council’s senior director for South Asia.
She entered the race because she believed residents of Colorado’s 4th District deserved “serious and honest representation” in Congress. Her father also spent his career in the Navy, reaching the rank of vice admiral.
Records indicate Laubacher had spent much of her life affiliated with the Republican party before changing her registration to Democrat late in 2025, and she stated during a debate that the GOP had grown “nearly unrecognizable”. Boebert criticized her opponent’s move, accusing Laubacher of switching parties and relocating to the district solely to run for Congress.
“I’m honored by the trust the people of Colorado’s 4th District have placed in me. This campaign was never about party labels. It was about putting people first,” Laubacher said in a statement.
Financial backing heavily favored the Democratic challenger. Laubacher raised $13.7 million as of mid-October to Boebert’s $1.2 million.
Throughout her tenure in Congress, Boebert drew intense national attention through a series of high-profile controversies. She gained a reputation as one of the more vocal and recognizable members of the House Republican caucus after winning her initial House election in November 2020. Before launching her political career, Boebert owned and operated Shooters Grill, a dining establishment in Rifle, Colorado, where employees were allowed to openly carry firearms.
Her behavior away from politics also attracted widespread attention, particularly in 2023 when video captured her vaping, touching her companion inappropriately, and being asked to leave a Denver performance of the Beetlejuice musical.
“fell short of my values,” Boebert said in an apology, explaining that it had been a “challenging personal time for me and my entire family” due to her ongoing divorce.
Weeks before the November election, Boebert faced additional pressure from a sworn ethics complaint filed with the House Ethics Committee by activist David Wheeler. The filing alleged that she had sexual relationships with three current congressional staffers and arranged a $200,000 payment to one former aide, allegations that Boebert denied and characterized as politically motivated.
Boebert addressed reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
We've been curing ballots for over a week, and you know we… we need to make sure that every vote counts and every voice is heard. We still have military and overseas ballots that are coming in, and we'll see what that number is. Boebert said
Following the Associated Press race projection on November 13, Boebert posted a message on X confirming she had called Laubacher to offer congratulations, while she told her followers to “Stay tuned!”