NBC News has projected that Eileen Laubacher has defeated Representative Lauren Boebert in the race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. Boebert, a prominent conservative figure who served for six years in Congress, lost to the Democratic challenger amid a broader wave of anti-Republican sentiment in the midterm elections.
Laubacher is a retired Navy rear admiral and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Before her run for Congress, she served on the National Security Council during the Biden administration. In remarks to supporters on election night, Laubacher emphasized the importance of personal integrity and public service. She stated, “Integrity matters. Character matters. Truth matters, and public service should always be about what you can do for other people, not what you do for yourself,” according to The Colorado Sun. She added that these principles were worth fighting for from the start of the campaign.
Boebert's path to this election involved a strategic shift in her district. After winning re-election in Colorado’s 3rd District by a narrow margin of just 546 votes in 2022, she moved to the more Republican-leaning 4th District in 2024, where she secured a more comfortable victory. However, the political landscape changed significantly for the 2026 midterms. A strong Democratic surge, described as a blue tsunami, swept through the country, resulting in the defeat of Boebert and numerous other incumbent Republicans.
Following the defeat, Boebert cited external factors in her loss. She noted that a significant amount of money was spent against her campaign. She also placed blame on the Senate for failing to pass many bills that had already been approved by the House of Representatives under Republican control.
Before entering politics, Boebert was an active advocate for gun rights and owned the Shooters Grill restaurant in Rifle, Colorado. Her political career began with a surprise victory in the 2020 Republican primary against Representative Scott Tipton. She subsequently became a vocal defender of former President Donald Trump in Washington.
The relationship between Boebert and Trump deteriorated in late 2025. In November of that year, Boebert joined three other Republicans in signing a discharge petition to force a vote on the release of the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files. This move went against Trump’s wishes. When Trump threatened to unseat Representative Thomas Massie for leading the effort, Boebert sided with Massie and campaigned alongside him in May 2026. Trump criticized her publicly, calling her “dumb” and “weak-minded,” and threatened to withdraw his endorsement, although he ultimately kept it.
Boebert was often more recognized for her confrontational style and public disputes with colleagues than for her legislative record. A notable incident occurred in 2021 when video surfaced of her suggesting that Representative Ilhan Omar was mistaken for a terrorist in a Capitol elevator. Omar disputed the account, stating that the description of the elevator ride never happened.
Tensions with fellow conservatives also marked her tenure. During the 2022 State of the Union address, Boebert and then-Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene heckled President Joe Biden throughout his speech. They attempted to initiate a chant about building a wall. The two later had a public falling out, with Greene referring to Boebert as “a little b, ” on the House floor.
In 2023, Boebert and her date were removed from a performance of the musical “Beetlejuice” in Denver. They were alleged to have disrupted the show by vaping, taking photos, and engaging in other behavior that disturbed the audience.
