Retired Navy Rear Adm. Eileen Laubacher flipped Colorado’s 4th Congressional District for Democrats, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert by a margin of over 3,000 votes after a contest that took nearly a week to confirm.
CNN projected the victory on Monday, ending Boebert’s tenure in the House after she shifted to the more conservative district last cycle to secure her political future. While the Associated Press had not called the race as of mid-week, Laubacher traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend freshman orientation for the 120th Congress.
Speaking with NewsNation, she cited fights over Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and efforts to ban congressional insider trading as central policy flashpoints.
The incumbent also argued that voters were frustrated by economic shifts, telling the outlet that the American people do not want corruption from anyone, at any time.
Everything is just dropping. I have gas that is under $3 a gallon in my district now, when everything was closer to $6 a gallon just over a week ago.
Lauren Boebert, U.S. Representative, via The Hill
Reflecting on her career, Boebert said that losing her seat could actually be almost liberating.
Campaign Investigates Unusual Voting Patterns and Potential Recounts
With Laubacher holding 48.8 percent of the vote against Boebert’s 47.9 percent, the campaign’s lawyer, Scott Gessler, announced that the team was investigating “some very unusual voting patterns” as ballots continued to trickle in following election night.
A significant number of votes remain outstanding in the race. We are fighting for every vote and will continue to ensure every legal vote is counted. Since election night, ballot returns have been trending in Congresswoman Boebert’s direction, consistently lowering the margin under one percentage point.
Scott Gessler, Campaign Attorney, via Newsweek
Under Colorado state law, an automatic recount is triggered only if the margin of victory is 0.5 percent or less.
Local Officials Report Normal Ballot Cure Processes
Local election authorities reported no system anomalies in the district. Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes said that a notable undervote occurred in her county, with roughly 700 voters skipping the congressional contest entirely, while about 2,000 voters across the entire district failed to cast a vote in the race.
While Boebert’s team worked to cure local ballots, officials noted that the effort made only a minimal dent in the overall margin. Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Shad Murib emphasized the importance of voters checking their ballot status during the tight tabulation process.
Laubacher Served 34 Years in the Military
Laubacher brings an extensive military background to her upcoming tenure in the House, having graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served for 34 years before retiring as a rear admiral in 2024. Her career included high-level national security postings, serving as the US Senior Defence Official in New Delhi.
Basant Sanghera, a geopolitical consultancy managing principal and former State Department and NSC veteran, said that Laubacher supplied Indian troops and shared military intelligence during the Galwan crisis. Former colleagues also credited her with stabilizing the U.S.-India partnership through diplomatic challenges and bureaucratic negotiations.
