Colorado's Lauren Boebert Loses 2026 Re-Election Bid to Laubacher

A six-term Republican congresswoman from Colorado has lost her re-election bid, according to a projection from NBC News. Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral and Afghanistan war veteran, won the seat in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, the network projected on Nov. 13, 2026.

Laubacher served on the National Security Council during the Biden administration. On election night, she told supporters, according to The Colorado Sun, as cited by NBC News: "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."

What changes Monday morning in the 4th District?

Voters in the district will be represented by a new member of Congress once the term begins. The incumbent conceded the race was shaped by national headwinds, saying after the results came in that "a lot of money" had been spent against her and faulting the Senate for not advancing House-passed Republican bills, per NBC News.

How did the congresswoman end up in this district?

She first won a seat representing Colorado's 3rd District, then switched to the more conservative 4th District in 2024 after a razor-thin finish two years earlier. The move was widely seen as a bid for safer political ground. It did not hold this cycle.

By the numbers

• 546 votes: Her margin of victory in the 3rd District race in 2022, per NBC News.
• 6 years: Length of her tenure in the U.S. House before this loss, per NBC News.
• 2 districts: Number of Colorado congressional districts she has represented since first winning office.

What is the timeline of the race?

• 2022: Wins re-election in the 3rd District by 546 votes, a near-defeat that signaled vulnerability.
• 2024: Shifts to the redder 4th District and wins more comfortably.
• Nov. 13, 2026: NBC News projects a loss to Laubacher amid what the network describes as an anti-Trump "blue tsunami" sweeping out GOP incumbents nationally.

Why did Republicans lose a seat they thought was safer?

NBC News reports the district switch could not offset a broader midterm shift against Republican incumbents this cycle. The outlet frames the result as part of a wider pattern of GOP losses in the 2026 midterms rather than a race decided solely on local issues.

What should Colorado voters watch for next?

• Whether Laubacher is sworn in on schedule when the new Congress convenes.
• Any post-election statements from the outgoing lawmaker about future political plans.
• Whether national Republican or Democratic committees point to this district as a bellwether for 2028 strategy.
• Final certified vote totals once Colorado's Secretary of State completes the canvass.

Readers can follow full results and updates at NBC News.

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