Democrat Eileen Laubacher led U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert by 3,069 votes in Colorado’s 4th District after the Nov. 3 election, putting the Republican outside the state’s automatic recount range.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s unofficial results, updated at 11 a.m. ET Nov. 6, listed Laubacher with 184,624 votes and Boebert with 181,555. Libertarian Douglas Mangeris had 12,506 votes, bringing the total to 378,685 votes counted.
The lead amounts to about 1.7% of Laubacher’s vote total. Under Colorado law, an automatic recount applies only when the difference between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less of the leader’s total. Candidates or parties may request a recount outside that range, paying initially, subject to statutory refunds. The canvass board must certify the original count before a recount can take place.
Scott Gessler, an attorney for Boebert’s campaign, said Thursday, Nov. 5, that the campaign expected a recount and was examining voting patterns he called “very unusual.” His statement did not identify specific ballots or provide evidence of irregularities. Democracy Docket reported that Gessler offered no further detail.
Colorado Public Radio described the 4th District as the state’s most Republican-leaning congressional seat. It reported that the map drawn in 2021 gave Republicans an average 25-point advantage in the district. Boebert moved from the 3rd District to run in the 4th in 2024 after a close race in her former district.
Boebert’s 2022 contest in the 3rd District also went to a recount. The Colorado Secretary of State’s recount order recorded an initial lead of 550 votes, while Colorado Public Radio later reported a final margin of 546 votes. State law assigns required-recount costs to the entity that certified the candidate for the ballot; outside the automatic threshold, a requester pays first, subject to statutory refunds.
Colorado’s 2026 election calendar opens the period for recount requests on Nov. 13. The canvass and official vote abstract are due Nov. 25.
