Democrat Eileen Laubacher’s lead over U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert grew slightly Thursday evening as clerks released updated results that left fewer avenues for the incumbent to make up the margin.
Laubacher had 48.8% of the vote and Boebert had 47.9% as of 7 p.m. — a margin of just under 1 percentage point that expanded slight after decreasing on Wednesday. A smattering of ballots remained left to process in several counties, but the Associated Press estimates 97% of votes in the 4th Congressional District have now been counted.
The 3,024-vote margin was well outside the threshold for an automatic recount, which is currently 920 votes (0.5% of the race leader’s vote total).
The race is one of two still-uncalled contests for Republican incumbents in the fallout of a massive blue wave that swept across the country Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, the state’s fourth Republican incumbent member of Congress, lost his race in the 8th Congressional District to Democrat Manny Rutinel. Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank also lost his seat in the state’s 5th Congressional District to Democrat Jessica Killin. In Boebert’s old district, Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd is still leading his opponent in a too-close-to-call race.
Election results show that Laubacher is carrying the more urban — and more populous — corners of the 4th District, including Larimer, Douglas and Arapahoe counties, while Boebert leads in most rural counties, including Weld.
Early Thursday evening, Scott Gessler, an attorney for Boebert's campaign, said in a statement to Colorado Public Radio that the campaign was "fighting for every vote." He said, without citing specifics, that the campaign was "investigating some very unusual voting patterns and expect this election to head to a recount, one way or another."
On Wednesday, Boebert told 9News that she hoped that as ballots submitted by voters on Election Day were counted, they would break in her favor.
"This doesn't define me," the three-term congresswoman said. "I'm a mom, I'm a granny and I'm a believer. We're going to continue moving, faith to faith, glory to glory."
Nick Laubacher, right, hugs his mother, Eileen Laubacher, the Democratic nominee in the 4th Congressional District, at Lansdowne Arms in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, November 4, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)Boebert, who now lives in Windsor, previously represented the 3rd Congressional District but moved to the 4th District and won her seat in 2024. The district covers the state's Eastern Plains and parts of metro Denver, including Douglas County.
In her time in Congress, Boebert has been known for bombastic statements and frequently draws national attention. Although she has largely supported President Donald Trump's agenda, she has opposed him several times in the last year, including pushing for the release of the Epstein files.
Laubacher, a former Republican who's a retired Navy rear admiral, moved to Highlands Ranch with her husband two years ago. She touts herself as a moderate and says she doesn't fit in either party.
Laubacher significantly outraised Boebert in the race. In late October, the Cook Political Report recategorized the district from "solid Republican" to "leans Republican." Voters in the district, which is currently the most Republican-leaning of Colorado's eight congressional districts, last elected a Democrat to the seat in 2008.
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