Lauren Boebert Loses Reelection in Deep-Red Colorado District as Democrat Pulls Off Major Upset
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert has lost her reelection bid in Colorado‘s heavily Republican 4th Congressional District, falling to Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher in one of the most unexpected results of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Associated Press called the race for Laubacher on Friday, November 13, after more than 99% of ballots had been counted. Laubacher received approximately 48.8% of the vote compared with Boebert’s 47.9%, a margin of fewer than 4,000 votes.
The defeat is particularly significant because President Donald Trump carried the district by 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. The district had been considered one of the safest Republican seats in Colorado.
Boebert, a prominent conservative and longtime defender of Trump’s America First agenda, will leave Congress after serving three terms. She was first elected in 2020 and quickly became a nationally recognized figure for her outspoken positions on gun rights, immigration, and federal government spending.
The congresswoman originally represented Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District but switched to the more conservative 4th District ahead of the 2024 election. She won that race by approximately 11 percentage points.
Her Democratic opponent, Eileen Laubacher, is a retired Navy rear admiral and former Republican who served on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council between 2022 and 2024.
Laubacher entered the race as a political newcomer and ran a campaign emphasizing government accountability, affordability, and her military background.
The Democrat also benefited from a substantial fundraising advantage. According to campaign finance figures, Laubacher raised more than $13 million compared with approximately $1.2 million for Boebert.
Boebert criticized the enormous amount of money spent against her, suggesting that outside spending had played a major role in making the race competitive.
Her campaign has also raised questions about the vote count. Attorney Scott Gessler, a former Colorado secretary of state representing Boebert’s campaign, alleged unusual voting patterns and indicated that a recount could be requested.
Gessler said the campaign was examining ballot returns after the margin between the candidates narrowed during the counting process. No evidence establishing election misconduct has been publicly presented.
Boebert’s relationship with President Trump also became more complicated during the past year. Although she remained closely aligned with his broader political agenda, the president criticized her decision to support Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Boebert was also one of four House Republicans who signed a bipartisan discharge petition seeking the release of Justice Department records connected to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump publicly criticized Boebert in May and encouraged potential Republican challengers to enter the race against her. However, he ultimately endorsed her reelection campaign in October.
Following the election, Rep. Nancy Mace praised Boebert and the other Republicans who had supported the Epstein files petition, arguing that they had accepted political consequences for their decision.
Boebert’s defeat comes amid widespread Republican losses in the November midterms, which resulted in Democrats gaining control of both the House and Senate.
The Colorado race demonstrates the extent of those losses, with Democrats capturing a congressional district that had strongly favored Republicans just two years earlier.
Laubacher has already attended orientation for incoming members of Congress in Washington, preparing to represent Colorado’s 4th District when the new Congress convenes in January.
Although the Associated Press has called the election for Laubacher, Boebert’s campaign has not formally conceded, and the possibility of a recount remains under discussion.