Lauren Boebert Loses Reelection as AP Calls Colorado's 4th for Laubacher

Lauren Boebert loses reelection. The Associated Press called Colorado's 4th Congressional District for Democrat Eileen Laubacher at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026, ending Representative Lauren Boebert's bid for another term in Congress and flipping the reddest House seat in Colorado to Democratic control. The call came ten days after the November 3 midterm elections and confirmed what the late-counted ballots had pointed toward all week: Laubacher's lead of about 3,300 votes could not be overtaken.

Boebert, one of the most recognisable figures in the House Republican conference, becomes the third Colorado Republican House member to lose reelection in this cycle. Her defeat, in a district Republicans have dominated for decades, stands as one of the most striking results of the 2026 midterms.

Key Points

• The Associated Press called Colorado's 4th District for Democrat Eileen Laubacher at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026.
• Laubacher led about 48.8 percent to Boebert's 47.9 percent — roughly 186,200 votes to 182,900 — a margin of about 3,300 votes, with Libertarian Douglas Mangeris at 3.3 percent.
• The 4th District is Colorado's reddest seat: Republicans held an average 25-point advantage when the lines were drawn in 2021, and Donald Trump carried it by 18 points in 2024.
• Boebert told Colorado Public Radio she will not run for the seat in 2028 and blamed voter frustration with the status quo.
• Democrats will control at least 256 House seats and at least 55 Senate seats when the new Congress is seated in January.

What Happened

The call ended ten days of uncertainty in a race that had been too close to call on election night. US News Pulse reported on November 4 that Laubacher led Boebert while the race remained uncalled. Laubacher had led from the first returns, but the margin stayed inside a single percentage point as county clerks worked through mail ballots, military and overseas ballots, and ballots that needed signature cures. By Friday, the count stood at roughly 186,200 votes for Laubacher and 182,900 for Boebert, with Libertarian Douglas Mangeris taking about 3.3 percent of the vote. The Associated Press determined that the ballots still outstanding could not change the outcome, and it called the race for Laubacher at 1 p.m.

The call followed CNN's projection on Monday, November 9, that Laubacher would win the seat. At that point the Associated Press had not yet called the race, and Boebert had not conceded, with her campaign examining what it described as unusual voting patterns and weighing a recount. The Associated Press call on Friday removed the last doubt: the seat changes hands, and Laubacher will take the oath of office in January.

Background: How the Race Got Here

The 4th District stretches across Colorado's eastern plains, from the suburbs east of Denver to the Kansas and Nebraska borders, and it has been Republican ground for a generation. When the district lines were drawn in 2021, Republicans held an average advantage of about 25 points. A Democrat was last elected there in 2008, for a single term, and Donald Trump carried the district by 18 points in 2024. Boebert won the seat that same year with 53.6 percent of the vote, after switching from the 3rd District, where she had survived reelection in 2022 by just 546 votes.

Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, was a registered Republican for much of her life before becoming a Democrat ahead of her run. She campaigned on affordability, protecting rural hospitals, and opposing President Donald Trump's tariffs and the war with Iran. She was also far better funded: Laubacher raised about 13.7 million dollars, against about 1.2 million for Boebert.

Lauren Boebert Loses Reelection in Colorado's Reddest District

Boebert's defeat caps a midterm in which Democrats made sweeping gains. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control at least 256 House seats and at least 55 Senate seats — majorities built in part on victories in districts that, on paper, should have been safe for Republicans. The 4th District is the clearest example: a seat drawn to favour Republicans by 25 points, carried by Trump by 18 points two years ago, now sending a Democrat to Washington.

For Boebert personally, the loss ends a six-year run in Congress that began with her surprise primary victory in 2020. First elected from the 3rd District, she moved to the 4th District for the 2024 election and won it comfortably. Two years later, the same voters turned her out — a reversal she herself tied to a broader mood against incumbents and the status quo.

Reactions and Quotes

Boebert told Colorado Public Radio that she will not run for the seat in 2028, closing the door on an immediate comeback. She blamed voter frustration with the status quo, saying: “Republicans need to listen to voters, not political pundits and consultants.” The remark landed as an epitaph for a campaign that could not overcome the midterm tide.

Laubacher declared victory on Monday, November 9, at new-member orientation in Washington, before the Associated Press had called the race. Her campaign framed the win as a verdict on affordability and rural health care.

Why It Matters

The result matters because of where it happened. The 4th District was not a swing seat, a toss-up, or a district Democrats were expected to contest seriously. It was the reddest seat in Colorado, a district Republicans carried by double digits in every recent cycle. That a Democrat won it — and that Democrats flipped two other Colorado House seats in the same election — says the midterm wave reached places the maps said it could not, and it leaves House Republicans with a smaller, more fragile conference in January. Democrat Manny Rutinel's flip of Colorado's 8th District, ousting first-term Republican Gabe Evans, was an earlier sign of the same wave.

What Happens Next

Laubacher will be sworn in with the new Congress in January, joining a Democratic House majority of at least 256 seats. Boebert leaves office after three terms, having ruled out a 2028 run for the seat. The district's voters, meanwhile, will watch whether a Democrat who campaigned on affordability and rural hospitals can deliver for the eastern plains — and whether the seat that flipped in a wave year stays flipped when the wave recedes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Colorado's 4th Congressional District?
Democrat Eileen Laubacher. The Associated Press called the race for her at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026.

What was the margin in the race?
Laubacher led about 48.8 percent to 47.9 percent — roughly 186,200 votes to 182,900 — a margin of about 3,300 votes.

Why is this result surprising?
The 4th District is Colorado's reddest seat. Republicans held a 25-point advantage when the lines were drawn in 2021, and Trump carried it by 18 points in 2024.

Will Lauren Boebert run again?
Boebert told Colorado Public Radio she will not run for the seat in 2028.

When does Laubacher take office?
She will be sworn in with the new Congress in January 2027, joining a Democratic House majority of at least 256 seats.