Democrat Eileen Laubacher defeated Republican Representative Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 4th Congressional District on Friday, November 13, when the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ called the race ten days after voting ended on November 3. With nearly all expected votes counted, Laubacher held 48.8 percent of the vote to Boebert's 47.9 percent, a margin of less than one percentage point, according to Decision Desk HQ figures reported by The Hill and Political.org.
Source: Associated Press via KCAU 9
This report is the result the site's earlier coverage was waiting for. Awaaz Punjab reported on November 4 that Laubacher led Boebert by 2,513 votes in a race that was still uncalled. Counting continued for ten days. Laubacher declared victory on Monday, November 9, and attended the first day of new-member orientation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington that day. Boebert declined to concede at that point, telling reporters outside the Capitol on Wednesday, November 11, that she was not conceding because votes were still being counted.
A district Republicans carried by more than 18 points
The 4th District spans Colorado's Eastern Plains and reaches into Douglas County and Loveland. Decision Desk HQ had rated the seat 'likely Republican' heading into Election Day, and Republicans carried the district by more than 18 percentage points in 2024, the Associated Press reported. Laubacher's win is only the second time since 1973 that a Democrat has won the district, according to Political.org, and the result leaves Colorado's U.S. House delegation favouring Democrats 7-1.
Who the two candidates are
Laubacher is a retired Navy rear admiral — a two-star admiral — and a Naval Academy graduate who grew up in a Navy family, served on active duty and later joined the Navy Reserve after moving to Colorado with her husband, Chris, according to Political.org. She announced her bid in May 2025, campaigned on a moderate, 'no drama' approach and held listening tours in rural areas where Democrats have struggled. Reporting on the race said she built a large fundraising advantage and was previously a Republican before running as a Democrat.
Boebert, a three-term Republican, is one of President Donald Trump's most outspoken allies and a staple of conservative media, the Associated Press reported. She first won a western Colorado seat, narrowly survived a 2022 re-election fight by 546 votes, then moved across the state in late December 2023 to run in the more Republican 4th District, which she first won in 2024. The AP account described her rise from owning a gun-themed restaurant called Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, alongside the 'Make America Great Again' movement.
Returning to the Capitol this week, Boebert acknowledged the scale of Republican losses nationally. 'We collectively failed,' she said, in remarks reported by the Associated Press. 'It's very clear. The American people let us know we have failed in this governing experience for this Congress.' The AP described her defeat as one of several surprising Republican losses in what it said is shaping up to be a lopsided election.
How the district voted
County-level tallies reported by Political.org show the split that decided the race: Boebert carried rural Eastern Plains counties such as Baca by wide margins, while Laubacher won heavily in the Arapahoe County portion of the district, with nearly 60 percent there. Douglas County, the district's population centre and a long-time Republican stronghold that has been trending slowly toward purple, was central to the close result. Election night itself was volatile, with early returns putting Laubacher ahead before the race tightened as more ballots were tallied.
An AP or Decision Desk call is a news organisation's projection, not formal certification. Colorado counties must still finish tabulating and certifying their ballots, and Boebert had not formally conceded as of the latest reporting on November 13. Laubacher is expected to take her seat when the new Congress convenes in January 2027. Boebert had said during the campaign that she would not run again in 2028 if she lost to Laubacher, according to Political.org, so her next move will be watched closely.
For Colorado voters in the 4th District — from the Eastern Plains farm counties to the Douglas County suburbs — the flip changes who represents them on farming, water, energy and federal-land questions in Washington, and it removes one of the House's best-known Republican voices. The final certified numbers will confirm the exact margin once county certification is complete.