Eileen Laubacher takes Colorado House seat from Lauren Boebert

Democrat Eileen Laubacher defeated Rep. Lauren Boebert for a U.S. House seat in Colorado on Friday.

The race marked a decisive shift in the 4th Congressional District, which Republicans had carried by more than 18 percentage points in the 2024 election. Despite that margin, the district was not safe for Boebert in this year's midterms. Her loss is part of a wider pattern of Republican defeats that is shaping up to be the most lopsided election in half a century.

Laubacher, a former Navy rear admiral, now holds the seat formerly occupied by the three-term Republican. Boebert rose to prominence alongside the Make America Great Again movement and became a familiar face on conservative media. She is the owner of Shooters Grill, a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, western Colorado. During her time in Congress, she refused to pass through metal detectors at the U.S. Capitol and referred to Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of the jihad squad. After surviving her first reelection bid by a narrow margin, she moved to a more Republican district in western Colorado.

Boebert returned to the Capitol this week to address the widespread losses. She stated that the party collectively failed. She added that it is very clear the American people let them know they have failed in this governing experience for this Congress.