Ten days after the ballots were cast, the quiet arithmetic of Colorado's 4th Congressional District has turned a close contest into a new chapter. Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral who once wore a Republican label, has been projected the winner over incumbent Lauren Boebert, with roughly a percentage point between them when the call came. The outcome arrives as the nation's House seats shift hands, and it reminds us how a few thousand late-arriving voices can still decide who speaks for a region.
Democrat Eileen Laubacher Unseats Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 4th District Race
About 1% of the vote separated the two candidates.
Mark
Why does this race matter beyond Colorado?
Mimi
Because the incumbent lost in a year when Democrats flipped both chambers, and the 4th District margin was only about 1%. Laubacher begins orientation in Washington as part of that new majority.
Luke
Careful, though. "Flipped both chambers" is the reporting's framing of the midterms. This piece doesn't give seat counts, so I wouldn't read more into it than that.
Mark
Laubacher claimed victory before the race was called. Is that unusual?
Mimi
It was early. Thousands of votes still separated them then. CBS News only projected the result about ten days after Election Day.
Luke
And a projection isn't a certification. The source says CBS projected the outcome. It doesn't say the result has been formally certified.
Mark
What was Boebert's argument on Monday night?
Mimi
That ballots were still being cured and that military and overseas ballots were coming in. She said they would see what that number was.
Luke
Right, but she didn't say how many ballots were outstanding, and the report doesn't either. So we can't tell whether they could close a gap of about 1%.
Mark
Does the Wheeler matter factor into the result?
Mimi
The article mentions it as one of her recent challenges, along with a protective order from a Weld County judge. It doesn't link it to the vote.
Luke
Exactly. The claims are Wheeler's, they're unproven in this reporting, and there's no evidence here that they affected the outcome.
Der Puls
- A razor-thin margin of about one percent left a rare Colorado seat hanging in the balance for more than a week.
- Laubacher declared victory early while thousands of votes remained uncounted, sharpening the tension between the two camps.
- Boebert stood on the Capitol steps insisting every ballot and voice still mattered, pointing to military and overseas ballots yet to arrive.
- Laubacher arrived in Washington for new member orientation as the projection took shape, moving toward a seat in a Democratic-controlled House.
- The outcome now hinges on whether Boebert formally contests the result and how quickly the new representative settles into office.
Ten days after the ballots were cast, the quiet arithmetic of Colorado's 4th Congressional District has turned a close contest into a new chapter. Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral who once wore a Republican label, has been projected the winner over incumbent Lauren Boebert, with roughly a percentage point between them when the call came. The outcome arrives as the nation's House seats shift hands, and it reminds us how a few thousand late-arriving voices can still decide who speaks for a region.
Ten days after Election Day, the count in Colorado's 4th Congressional District has finished, and CBS News projects that Democrat Eileen Laubacher has defeated incumbent Republican Lauren Boebert. The margin was thin, roughly one percent, and the result did not arrive cleanly.
Laubacher had claimed victory earlier in the week, while thousands of votes were still uncounted. On Monday night, Boebert spoke on the Capitol steps and said the count was not over, arguing that every vote needed to be heard and pointing to military and overseas ballots still coming in.
That same Monday, Laubacher was in Washington for the first day of New Member Orientation for the 120th Congress. A retired two-star Navy rear admiral who once served on the National Security Council under President Biden, she lives in Highlands Ranch, was once a Republican, and describes herself as a common-sense candidate focused on lowering costs, fighting corruption, and improving rural healthcare.
The district spans the eastern third of Colorado, part of Douglas County, and Loveland. Boebert had won it in 2024 with 53.6 percent after two terms representing the 3rd District, and she faced no primary challenger this year. Her recent months also included a protective order from a Weld County judge against a North Carolina man, David Wheeler, who has made claims about her and her staff; those remain his allegations, not established facts.
What comes next is whether Boebert contests the projection and how Laubacher takes her seat in a House now controlled by Democrats.
Ten days after Election Day, the count in Colorado's 4th Congressional District is finished, and CBS News projects that Democrat Eileen Laubacher has defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. The margin was thin. About 1% of the vote separated the two candidates when the race was called.
The result did not come cleanly. Earlier in the week, Laubacher had already claimed victory, even though thousands of votes still separated the candidates. On Monday night, Boebert spoke on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and said the counting was not over. Ballots had been cured for more than a week, she said, and she argued that every vote and every voice needed to count. She pointed to military and overseas ballots still arriving and said she wanted to see what that number turned out to be.
Laubacher was in Washington that same Monday. She joined other newly elected members of the 120th Congress for the first day of New Member Orientation, after Democrats flipped both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
Laubacher is a retired two-star rear admiral in the Navy who worked on the National Security Council under President Biden. She lives in Highlands Ranch and was once a Republican before changing her party affiliation. She describes herself as a common-sense candidate who wants to get things done. Her stated top priorities are keeping costs down, fighting corruption, and improving access to rural healthcare.
The district covers the eastern third of Colorado. It also takes in part of Douglas County, south of Denver, and the city of Loveland in Northern Colorado.
Boebert had represented Colorado's 3rd Congressional District for two terms before switching to the 4th. She won the 4th District in 2024 with 53.6% of the vote, and she faced no challenger in this year's primary.
Her recent months were not without difficulty. A Weld County judge granted her a protective order against a man who made claims about her and her staff. That man is David Wheeler, who lives in North Carolina. He has claimed that Boebert had sexual relationships with three staff members and arranged a $200,000 payment to a former aide to keep the alleged involvement quiet. The source material reports those as his claims, not established facts.
What to watch now is whether Boebert contests the projected result, given her comments about ballots still coming in, and how Laubacher takes her seat within a House that Democrats now control.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We still have military and overseas ballots that are coming in, and we'll see what that number is.— Rep. Lauren Boebert, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei CBS News ↗