Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher holds a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Representative Lauren Boebert in the race for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, according to reports from The Colorado Sun and USA TODAY.
As of Monday evening, Laubacher led Boebert by approximately 3,400 votes. While CNN has called the race in favor of Laubacher, the Associated Press has not yet made an official determination. Election officials say the final tally may not be clear until the end of the week due to the ongoing ballot-curing process.
The delay stems from the thousands of voters whose ballots were rejected because of signature discrepancies or other issues. These voters have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday to “cure” their ballots, a process that allows them to verify their identity and ensure their votes are counted.
Election week isn’t finished! Let’s finish counting every vote and hearing every voice before declaring anything. pic.twitter.com/eHhSDNauun
The battle over curing ballots
The margin between the two candidates is slim enough that the curing process could shift the final outcome. Under Colorado law, a mandatory recount is triggered if the gap between the top two candidates is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for the leader. Based on Monday’s figures, that threshold sits at roughly 930 votes.
Boebert has resisted calling the race, suggesting that Laubacher’s early victory claims were premature. “Declaring victory now is like icing a cake before it comes out of the oven,” Boebert said in a social media video.
The Boebert campaign is actively working to engage voters who need to fix their ballots. Scott Gessler, the campaign’s lawyer, stated that they are “trying like heck” to assist voters and noted that the campaign is investigating what it describes as “some very unusual voting patterns,” though he provided no specific evidence for that claim.
Conversely, the Laubacher campaign has framed the contest around election integrity. In a text message sent Saturday, the campaign urged supporters to help ensure every vote is counted, stating they would need to raise funds to fight what they termed an “election-denying scheme.”
The curing effort is large in scale. Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes, a Republican and president of the Colorado County Clerks Association, reported that over 3,000 ballots across the 4th District required curing as of Monday. In Weld County alone, about 700 voters did not cast a vote for a specific candidate, and 50 voters had already followed up over the weekend to secure their ballot status.
Voters can verify their current status through the official GoVoteColorado.gov website.
Winning depends on where remaining votes are located
Political analysts suggest that the path to victory for either candidate depends heavily on where the remaining votes are located. Republican strategist Kelly Maher noted that Boebert’s path is narrow, as she would likely need to gain ground in rural districts where the number of available votes to “chase” is relatively small.
In more populated areas, the math becomes more difficult for the incumbent. In Douglas County, Laubacher has secured 54% of the vote so far. Maher pointed out that attempting to pick up votes in these high-density areas carries a high risk, as many of the voters being contacted may already be supporters of the Democratic challenger.
The current standing of the candidates as of Monday evening is summarized below:
| Candidate | Vote Percentage (Approx.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Eileen Laubacher (D) | 48.8% | Leading |
| Lauren Boebert (R) | 47.9% | Trailing |
| Douglas Mangeris (L) | 3.3% | Third Place |
While Laubacher has already claimed victory, citing a need to focus on healthcare, rural communities, and cost of living, the final certification remains pending. Some counties, including Arapahoe, are holding back certain ballots to be mixed with cured ballots on Friday to protect voter anonymity.
The final deadline for counting all valid ballots, including overseas and military votes, is Friday. If the curing process results in enough corrected ballots to bridge the current gap, the district may see a protracted legal or administrative battle over the final result.
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