CNN projected Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, to defeat U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th District, a result that would give Democrats the seat as counting continued.
Boebert had 182,686 votes, or 47.9%, while Laubacher had 185,923, or 48.8%, CNN reported. Libertarian Douglas Mangeris received 12,605 votes, or 3.3%, with an estimated 98% of the vote counted. Laubacher’s lead was 3,237 votes; if the projection holds, the seat would shift from Republican to Democratic control.
The Independent reported that CNN was the only outlet to project a winner at the time of its report.
The Independent said Laubacher responded to the projection on social media, thanking supporters and saying she was ready to work for Colorado. The outlet also reported that critics’ posts recalled Boebert’s removal from a Denver performance of Beetlejuice in 2023. It said Boebert initially denied the reported conduct and apologized after security footage surfaced.
The Independent reported that Boebert moved from Colorado’s 3rd District to the more Republican 4th after winning her 2022 race by 546 votes. She won reelection in 2024 by more than 11 points, the outlet said. Laubacher’s campaign focused on local economic and affordability concerns, according to The Independent.
Boebert disputed the projection in a video posted to X. She said counties had until Nov. 13 to finish counting and curing eligible ballots, comparing an early declaration of victory to “icing a cake before it comes out of the oven.”
