As of late Thursday night, Nov. 5, Democrat Eileen Laubacher still led Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, and major networks had not called the race. The Associated Press was not yet projecting a winner, The Colorado Sun reported, while CBS Colorado said ballots were still being counted. With about 99% of the expected vote in, Laubacher had 184,624 votes (48.8%) to Boebert’s 181,555 (47.9%), according to Courier Journal / Reuters totals. What happened to Lauren Boebert is a near-dead heat in the state’s most Republican House seat.
Election night into Thursday’s count
- Nov. 3: Early returns put Laubacher ahead. NBC News later put her lead near 5 points when about three-quarters of the expected vote was in.
- Nov. 4-5: As more rural and in-person ballots posted, Boebert cut into the gap. Colorado Politics reported Thursday afternoon that Laubacher’s lead had narrowed to 2,276 votes (48.71% to 48.05%).
- Evening of Nov. 5: Reuters’ county table, carried by the Courier Journal, showed Laubacher at 184,624 and Boebert at 181,555 with about 99% estimated in. NBC News estimated Boebert would need more than 60% of the remaining vote to catch up.
- Still uncalled: The Colorado Sun said it waits on the Associated Press to declare winners, and listed CD-4 among races that could take days. CBS Colorado likewise described Boebert as still short of Laubacher while counting continued.
How Boebert ended up fighting for CD-4
Boebert, 39, is seeking a fourth House term and her second in the Eastern Plains seat anchored by Douglas County. She moved from the Western Slope’s 3rd District after nearly losing to Democrat Adam Frisch by fewer than 600 votes in 2022, Colorado Politics reported. In 2024 she won CD-4 by about 11 points in a district President Donald Trump carried by more than 18 points two years later, the same outlet noted.
Laubacher, 58, is a retired Navy rear admiral and former National Security Council official. She outraised Boebert by a wide margin this cycle, taking in nearly $14 million to Boebert’s about $1.2 million, according to Colorado Politics. Outside groups spent roughly $1.5 million against Boebert, much of it on ads tied to the 2023 “Beetlejuice” theater incident in Denver, while a Republican-aligned group spent about $600,000 supporting her.
Boebert’s relationship with Trump also swung this year. She joined four other House Republicans on a discharge petition to force release of Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein, then publicly backed Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie in a primary Massie lost. Trump later called for a primary challenge to Boebert after Colorado’s ballot was already set, then endorsed her again before Election Day, Colorado Politics reported.
County splits that explain the margin
CD-4 still looks red on a map. The difference is that Laubacher is running up large leads in the district’s two biggest suburban and Front Range pieces while Boebert racks up smaller counties. County totals below come from the Reuters feed published by the Courier Journal late Thursday; percentages are of votes cast in that county’s portion of CD-4.
| County (share of CD-4) | Laubacher (D) | Boebert (R) | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 108,786 (53.9%) | 86,998 (43.1%) | Laubacher +21,788 |
| Larimer (partial) | 33,297 (56.8%) | 23,259 (39.7%) | Laubacher +10,038 |
| Arapahoe (partial) | 8,800 (60.9%) | 5,160 (35.7%) | Laubacher +3,640 |
| Weld (partial) | 13,572 (38.9%) | 20,074 (57.5%) | Boebert +6,502 |
| Elbert | 5,078 (29.8%) | 11,290 (66.2%) | Boebert +6,212 |
| Cheyenne | 136 (16.5%) | 673 (81.6%) | Boebert +537 |
The Colorado Sun reported Thursday that Laubacher was leading Douglas County with about 54% there, matching the Reuters table, and that Boebert had 57.5% in Weld. NBC News estimated the district had shifted nearly 20 points toward Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential result.
What to watch before a call
Colorado gives voters until the end of Nov. 12 this year to fix unsigned or mismatched ballot envelopes because the usual eighth day falls on Veterans Day, The Colorado Sun reported. Douglas County still had about 1,800 ballots that could be cured in the 4th District race, though small slices of the county sit outside CD-4. Weld County clerk Carly Koppes told the Sun that 474 CD-4 ballots there could still be counted if voters fix problems, and that other Weld ballots in the race were already in. Cheyenne County had 16 signature-problem ballots left.
Clerks plan to count final cured and overseas ballots around Nov. 13 so no one can isolate which late votes decided a race. Colorado Politics said the current margin is too wide to trigger an automatic recount on its own, but that math can change if remaining ballots land unevenly. Until AP or another major network projects a winner, Boebert remains the incumbent in an unfinished count.
FAQ
Has AP called Colorado CD-4?
Not as of late Nov. 5. The Colorado Sun said it relies on the Associated Press to call races and still listed the 4th District as undecided; CBS Colorado also described the race as unfinished.
How close is Lauren Boebert to Eileen Laubacher?
Late Thursday totals put Laubacher ahead by about 3,070 votes, 48.8% to 47.9%, with roughly 99% of the expected vote counted, per Reuters data carried by the Courier Journal.
When could the race be decided?
If cured and overseas ballots matter, The Colorado Sun said final batches are due around Nov. 13. Networks can call sooner if the remaining math leaves only one realistic path.
Did Boebert win this seat in 2024?
Yes. Colorado Politics reported she won CD-4 by about 11 points in 2024 after switching from the 3rd District.
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Updated November 6, 2026