Lauren Boebert concedes Colorado’s 4th Congressional District race to Democrat Eileen Laubacher.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert conceded Colorado’s 4th Congressional District race to Democrat Eileen Laubacher more than a week after Election Day, after The Associated Press called the race for Laubacher.
In a video posted on X, Boebert said she waited for the full count to make her concession statement.
“Hey everyone, I said that we were going to wait until we had every vote counted and every voice in Colorado’s 4th District was heard,” Boebert said. “So now this message is to the great people of the 4th District of Colorado. Thank you for the honor of a lifetime, the chance to be your voice in Washington, representing communities across 21 counties. It has been the privilege of my life.”
Boebert added that she had spoken with Laubacher.
“I just called Eileen Laubacher to congratulate her,” Boebert said. “And while I was on the phone with her, I stressed to her a very important issue for me: that the people of our district are more important than party politics.”
As of 2:56 p.m. PT Friday, the AP count, which could have changed since then, showed Laubacher with 187,745 votes (48.8%), Boebert with 184,220 votes (47.9%), with almost 99% of votes counted. Libertarian Douglas Mangeris received 12,742 votes (3.3%).
Laubacher, 58, a retired Navy rear admiral and former National Security Council official making her first run for office, left the Republican Party before running for office as a Democrat. She declared victory on Monday after CNN projected her win, saying in a statement, “Making history means nothing if we don’t make a difference.”
Laubacher has worked on national security, defense policy, and international affairs for more than three decades.
In her video, Boebert explained how her office will transition to Laubacher’s.
“So what happens next for the people who rely on this congressional office every day is that every open case, every veteran’s claim, every Social Security issue, every constituent who needs help cutting through federal red tape will be fully documented, saved, and transferred in an orderly way,” she said. “Unfortunately, this is something that doesn’t always happen, but no one will be left without support.”
Boebert added that the constituent records should remain with the district with the outgoing member.
“And it has been a passion of mine to ensure this information belongs to the congressional district, the office, not the individual member,” Boebert said. “There’s a House rule that allows outgoing members to deny this constituent data to the incoming member, which I believe is completely wrong. This was done to me when I first took office, and I swore that I would never do that to the people I was elected to serve because they are the ones who are hurt by it.”
“New privacy release forms will need to be signed, but your history will be preserved for faster and more accurate results,” she said. “I promise you that my dedicated team and I will make sure of that during this transition.”
Boebert, now 39, also looked back on her record.
“Now, looking back on my six years of service, we came here to change how Washington works, and we did,” she said. “We gave a voice to the voiceless, the small business owners, the farmers, the ranchers, the producers, the parents, the energy workers, the rural communities, too often ignored by the coastal elites.”
She talked about the changes she made in how the House does legislation.
“We forced single-subject bills so massive, unrelated packages couldn’t hide waste, fraud, and abuse,” Boebert said. “We fought for reforms that put power back with the people instead of swampy leadership deals. Those changes matter, and I hope they will outlast any one member.”
“We defended the Second Amendment. We stood up for parents and girls by saying boys do not belong in girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms, or sports. We pushed hard to get the Epstein files released so the American people can finally get the truth,” she said. “We cut taxes, brought the money that the federal government steals from your home for rural hospitals. We brought money back for water projects and road improvements and so much more.”
“We didn’t win every battle, and I did not win this election for you,” Boebert said. “I have never stopped fighting for the people of Colorado’s 4th District throughout Colorado. Colorado’s 4th District is independent and full of people who work hard and love this country.”
“People think it takes a lot to remain a real person after getting in office, a person that understands the struggle of real Americans and why we’re even here on earth,” she said. “And I like to think that I have taken on incredible fights, constant scrutiny, attacks and threats, and legislative and political battles and still kept moving forward with the same fire and focus as when I started. And you all have enabled me to keep my head high, keep strong convictions without losing sight of the people that I represent. Thank you for that. I will keep fighting for those same principles in whatever way I can.”
Boebert, who owned Shooters Grill in Rifle, won office in 2020 by beating Rep. Scott Tipton, Republican with five terms of experience, in the 3rd Congressional District primary on the Western Slope. She switched to the 4th DistrDistrict024.
The 4th District, located in Douglas County and spanning the Eastern Plains, has been Colorado’s most reliably Republican congressional district for decades. Its voters have elected a Democrat only once in modern times, in 2008. Laubacher raised nearly $14 million in this campaign cycle, more than ten times Boebert’s $1.2 million, according to Colorado Politics.
Outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Boebert told reporters she will not run for the 4th District in 2028 if Laubacher wins.
In a separate video post on X, Boebert recalled a prayer she prayed in her restaurant years ago before running for Congress.
“Years ago, while in fervent prayer inside my restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, I cried out, ‘Here I am, Lord! Send me!’ I did not know at that time where He would send me. He sent me to 53 Colorado counties and to our Nation’s Capitol. He sent me to serve. My time to be sent to another unknown place is now. God’s got this. He’s got US! Jesus is Lord, and I am proud to live in the greatest country on earth! Stay Tuned!” she wrote.
She ended her video by thanking her supporters and said that she feels at peace.
“To my family, my staff, our supporters, our volunteers, and every Coloradan who trusted me, thank you,” Boebert said. “It has been the honor of my life, and I love you all. Public service was never meant to be a lifetime career, nor did I ever intend for it to be for myself. Our founders expected representatives to serve and go back home. So I’m home. I am happy. I have peace.”
“And this is not the last you’ll be hearing from me,” she said. “So stay tuned and stay blessed. God bless you. God bless Colorado. And I pray for Eileen Laubacher and her leadership in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. Carry on.”
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