Eileen Laubacher Defeats Lauren Boebert in Colorado 4th District

Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral and former National Security Council official, defeated Republican incumbent Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race on Friday, November 13, 2026, with Laubacher receiving 48.8% of the vote to Boebert's 47.9%.

Laubacher first declared victory on Monday, November 9, after CNN projected her as the winner with a lead of approximately 3,200 votes. Boebert refused to concede for several days, arguing that the race was called prematurely while ballots were still being cured and military and overseas votes were being counted. During this period, Boebert's campaign attorney, Scott Gessler, alleged unusual voting patterns and suggested a recount might be necessary.

Despite the challenges, the final margin remained outside the 0.5% threshold required for an automatic recount under Colorado law. The result marks a significant shift in the state's most conservative district, which voted 19 points more Democratic than it did during the 2024 presidential election. Democrats heavily outspent Republicans in the race, spending over $7 million on advertisements highlighting Boebert's public controversies.

Laubacher, who ran as a moderate focused on healthcare and rural communities, has already traveled to Washington, D.C., for new-member orientation. Boebert characterized the loss as a collective failure of the current Congress and stated she does not plan to run for the seat again in 2028.