Lauren Boebert loses Colorado seat to Democrat Eileen Laubacher in a district Republicans carried by 25

Democrat Eileen Laubacher has defeated Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, the Associated Press called the race on Friday, according to Colorado Public Radio. CPR reports Laubacher led on Election Night with nearly 20 percent of votes still to be counted, and the AP called the race ten days after Election Day.

How red the seat is

CPR describes the district as the state's reddest, covering the Eastern Plains and parts of Douglas, Adams, Arapahoe, Larimer and Weld counties. When the lines were drawn in 2021, Republicans held an average 25-point advantage there. A Democrat last won it in 2008 and served one term. CPR reports Laubacher carried Douglas County, the district's population center, by about 11 percentage points.

The overall margin was thin. The Guardian, citing the AP, put it at less than 1%. We are not quoting a final vote count because the AP's tally and the state's certification may still move.

The candidates

Laubacher is a retired two-star Navy rear admiral who served in Afghanistan and later on the National Security Council under President Biden, according to The Guardian. She registered as a Democrat in 2025, and said in a debate that the Republican Party had become "nearly unrecognizable." Her campaign focused on rural listening tours, and CPR reports she criticized Boebert's support for the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill, saying they would hurt rural hospitals. She also criticized tariffs and the Iran war over costs for voters.

Boebert was first elected in 2020 in the 3rd District and won re-election there in 2022 by 546 votes, CPR notes. She moved to the 4th for the 2024 cycle. After the call she told CPR voters were frustrated with the status quo and that Republicans "need to listen to voters, not political pundits and consultants." She also told Scripps News she will not run for the seat in 2028, CPR reports.

Laubacher said in a statement: "This campaign was never about party labels. It was about putting people first."

The money angle

CPR points to the economy as a reason Democrats did not write the seat off: it says "diesel prices and tariffs" were hitting rural voters. For the farm and ranch businesses, truckers and small-town employers on the Eastern Plains, those are the costs that show up on a monthly statement. Diesel is also a live story for us: see our coverage of what the oil surplus means for diesel buyers.

CPR says Boebert is the third Colorado Republican member of Congress to lose re-election this cycle. For the national picture, see our earlier report on the midterm results.

What to watch

• Colorado's official certification of the 4th District result.
• Laubacher's committee assignments once the new Congress is organized.

Sources: Colorado Public Radio, The Guardian, both read in full on Nov. 14, 2026; the AP race call as reported by those outlets. This is news reporting, not investment advice.