Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert could lose her seat in Congress, but the race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District is too close to call.
Result counts show Democratic contender Eileen Laubacher leading by slight margins, but news outlets have not projected a winner. In the 2022 midterms, Boebert's race narrowed to the recount zone, and she ultimately prevailed by about 550 votes, when she represented the state's 3rd district.
A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and one-time staunch MAGA loyalist, Boebert has at times strayed from the president, including over the release of the government's Epstein files. In May, Trump threatened to pull his endorsement from her.
The Democratic leader, retired Rear Adm. Laubacher, graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy and worked as a military intelligence officer.
Boebert is seeking reelection to her fourth term weeks after facing sexual misconduct allegations, which she denies. Here's the latest on the Colorado contest.
An ethical misconduct complaint weeks before Election Day
David Wheeler, co-founder of the political action committee American Muckrakers, sent a complaint on Sept. 17 to the House Ethics Committee that alleged Boebert had sexual relationships with three of her congressional staffers. That allegedly included her former chief of staff. The accusations also involved House payroll and campaign documents that allegedly show payments to the staffers.
Boebert's office said the accusations had "zero truth" and were "politically motivated" and "utterly false."
“I reject these baseless allegations as utterly false and there is no truth to them whatsoever. I have never had a sexual relationship or an inappropriate romantic relationship with any member of my staff—past or present," Boebert said in a statement. "This is nothing more than a politically motivated stunt designed to manipulate the ethics process, create headlines, smear me, and generate clickbait."
When will the Colorado results come back?
Colorado counties have until Nov. 13 to count ballots and upload final results, according to the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State. Voters have until the end of the day on Nov. 12 to resolve signature or identification discrepancies. Election officials will accept ballots from military or overseas voters until Nov. 12, so long as they were mailed by election night.
A candidate must ultimately lead their opponent by 0.5% in Colorado, or else Boebert's race will, again, head to an automatic recount.
"Election Day is over, but the election is not. Election workers continue counting ballots – including those from military and overseas voters – and voters can fix signature or ID discrepancies to have their vote counted," Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. "The election results will also be audited and canvassed. Only after all that will we order a mandatory recount. Colorado's election officials continue to work diligently and make sure every voter’s voice is heard."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump ally Lauren Boebert narrowly trails Dem challenger in close race
