GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, a prominent MAGA lawmaker who later clashed with President Trump, lost re-election in a deep-red Colorado seat to Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher.
Boebert, who was seeking a fourth term, lost a district that Trump won by 18 points in 2024, a stunning Democratic victory in a broader electoral wave.
With 99% of the vote counted, Laubacher had 48.8% to 47.9% for Boebert, the Associated Press reported Friday, more than a week after Election Day.
Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, served as a member of President Joe Biden's National Security Council. She was backed by the political-action committee associated with the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative House Democrats.
Boebert was first elected to Congress in 2020 to represent a western Colorado district, running as a gun-toting businesswoman who owned a restaurant called Shooters Grill. She became a star of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, building her online profile and joining the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.
But she ran into political trouble with her constituents, some of whom grew tired of her provocateur persona and attention-grabbing statements, including a tweet on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the Capitol riot, that said: "Today is 1776."
She survived a close election in 2022, beating her Democratic challenger by just 546 votes. An incident in 2023 at the musical "Beetlejuice" -- in which she and her date were ejected for talking and vaping -- further dented her image.
In the next election cycle, Boebert decided to switch to a safer red district that had remained in GOP control since 2011. She won that seat in 2024.
As this year's results came in, Boebert said she was hoping for a late comeback. Asked in an interview with 9News in Denver if there was a lesson for the party from the midterm results, she responded: "Yeah, don't start endless wars. That's a big one. I've been frustrated about the Iran war."
Boebert helped drive the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, joining a small band of dissident Republicans who teamed up with Democrats to force a vote on making the documents public over Trump's initial strong objections.
All four of those lawmakers will be gone in the next Congress: Boebert and Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), who lost his GOP primary; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), who quit office last year; and Rep. Nancy Mace (R. S.C.), who ran unsuccessfully for governor. Trump had heavily criticized Boebert over her support of Massie during his campaign, calling her "weak minded."
During the fight over the Epstein documents, Trump personally called Boebert. She also met with top officials in the White House situation room, including FBI Director Kash Patel, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and others.
Trump later issued a surprise veto of a bill related to a Colorado water project. That prompted a sharply worded complaint from Boebert and charges of retaliation from members of both parties.
Trump ultimately endorsed Boebert in her 2026 run, calling her a "a MAGA Warrior" just days before the election.