Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has not conceded her reelection bid in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, even as Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher holds a narrow lead and the Associated Press has not yet called the race.
AP’s results, updated Monday at 8:14 p.m., showed Laubacher with 186,199 votes, or 48.8 percent, to Boebert’s 182,847 votes, or 47.9 percent. Libertarian candidate Douglas Mangeris took 12,615 votes, or 3.3 percent. Laubacher’s lead stands at 3,352 votes, roughly 0.9 percentage points, with AP estimating 98 percent of the vote counted.
Across the three candidates, 381,661 votes have been tallied so far. Based on AP’s 98 percent estimate, something on the order of 7,789 votes could still be outstanding, though the precise figure isn’t knowable from that estimate alone.
In a video posted Monday, Boebert pushed back on CNN and Democratic figures who had already declared the race over, pointing to Colorado’s ballot-curing deadline.
“I saw that CNN and the Democrats want to call my race and prematurely declare victory. So just a quick reminder that counties still have until November 13th under Colorado law to finish counting and curing every eligible ballot. There are thousands that still need curing, plus military and overseas votes,” Boebert said. “Declaring victory now is like icing a cake before it comes out of the oven.”
She thanked her campaign staff and volunteers while the count continues.
“While I have you here, I also want to say that I am so grateful to every Coloradan who voted, to my tenacious team who continues to serve, and to every volunteer still making calls and knocking doors. Regardless of the final outcome, we will move forward to future victories together,” she said. “We’ll make sure that every eligible vote is counted and every single voice is heard before we take any next steps. Talk to you soon.”
She captioned the video: “Election week isn’t finished! Let’s finish counting every vote and hearing every voice before declaring anything.”
Confusion Over Leadership Vote
The unresolved contest spilled into Capitol Hill politics Tuesday, when questions arose about whether Boebert would take part in House Republican leadership elections. Capitol Hill reporter Juliegrace Brufke reported Tuesday morning that a source told her Boebert had been “turned away” from a meeting.
Axios congressional reporter Kate Santaliz reported soon after that Boebert still planned to vote. “Boebert will be back for the 1:30pm leadership vote, I’m told,” Santaliz wrote. “CNN and others have called her race, but AP has yet to do so. Boebert plans to vote in the leadership elections.”
Boebert later told Brufke: “Conference said they messed up and should have never said my race had been called.”
Punchbowl News reporter Jake Sherman wrote on X: “Rep. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-Colo.) was told that she could not vote in the House Republican leadership elections. That judgement was overturned. She can now vote in the contests today.”
Boebert disputed that characterization. “The ‘judgement’ was false, not overturned. I was always planning to vote at 1:30pm. I didn’t want to sit in a room and be lied to by people pretending they can lead. This election proved America HATES the normal run of show here in DC,” she said.
