Democrat Eileen Laubacher Claims Victory in Colorado District 4; Incumbent Lauren Boebert

Democrat Eileen Laubacher Claims Victory Over Lauren Boebert in Colorado 4th

Thousands of uncounted votes still hang in the balance, yet Democrat Eileen Laubacher is moving forward and declaring victory over incumbent Republican Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.

The race remains tight across the state’s most heavily Republican seat, setting up a tense wait for final totals.

As late returns posted through Thursday afternoon, Laubacher led the incumbent by 2,276 votes, securing a margin of just under 0.7%. That slim gap narrowed as county clerks processed additional batches, with Boebert closing the distance by more than 1,000 votes over a two-day span.

Inside the Numbers and the Margin

Laubacher secured 48.71% of the vote to Boebert’s 48.05%, while Libertarian Douglas Mangeris trailed with 3.2%. The current margin sits just outside Colorado’s strict automatic recount threshold, which requires the difference between candidates to be less than half of 1% of the winning candidate’s total votes.

Democratic candidate Eileen Laubacher declares victory in Colorado's 4th Congressional District

Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, explained that a losing candidate can still request a recount at their own expense. However, Crane noted he does not anticipate a recount altering the final outcome.

I do expect the outcome to say the same. I’m not aware of a recount ever changing the outcome of an election.

Washington Orientation and Pending Ballots

Signaling confidence in the trajectory of the race, Laubacher already traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend new-member orientation for the upcoming two-year term. “I know the work is really just beginning,” Laubacher told CBS Colorado, calling the current standing remarkable.

Meanwhile, the Boebert campaign has pushed back against early victory declarations, emphasizing that outstanding mail, provisional, and military ballots must still be processed. In a statement, the campaign pointed to November 13 as the final date for votes to be counted across every county before deciding on next steps.

This race is very tight, and there are still a lot of votes to be counted. It is irresponsible to declare a winner in light of the large number of outstanding votes.

Laubacher, a 58-year-old retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and former National Security Council official, maintained that the integrity of the process serves voters above all. “I think the most important thing is the people of Colorado, the voters, are heard,” she told CBS Colorado. With the November 13 deadline fast approaching, the fate of the district rests on the final county tallies.