Democrat Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral, defeated three-term Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 4th Congressional District.

According to Democracy Docket, the Associated Press called the race Friday afternoon with Laubacher leading 48.8% to 47.9% and roughly 99% of votes counted.

Friday was the deadline for Colorado counties to complete initial vote counts, and late Friday evening Boebert posted a video on social media conceding, saying she waited until every vote was counted and will work with Laubacher's team on a peaceful transfer of power.

Boebert said she called Laubacher to congratulate her and thanked district residents, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The result is a genuine upset because Boebert had spent years engineering her own safety. After barely surviving her first reelection in 2022, she switched from Colorado's 3rd District to the more reliably Republican 4th District in 2024.

Her loss is one of several unexpected Republican defeats in an election the Los Angeles Times describes as shaping up to be the most lopsided in half a century.

The campaign's response to trailing became a storyline of its own.

Democracy Docket reports that just over a week before the race was called, Boebert campaign attorney Scott Gessler — Colorado's former Republican secretary of state — claimed the campaign was investigating 'very unusual voting patterns' and expected a recount, without offering any evidence or responding to requests for details.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said Monday that 'Colorado's elections are safe, secure and accurate,' and her office told Democracy Docket the campaign had never contacted it about the alleged irregularities.

CBS News Colorado reports county clerk Carly Koppes said votes were counted exactly as they should have been, with audits of voting machines underway.

Boebert was one of President Donald Trump's most prominent allies in Congress and a fixture of conservative media since her 'Shooters Grill' restaurant days, having catapulted to notoriety alongside the MAGA movement, as PBS notes.

Boebert herself framed the broader losses bluntly this week, saying, 'We collectively failed,' and 'The American people let us know we have failed in this governing experience for this Congress.'

Laubacher, meanwhile, said the victory carries a responsibility to deliver for a district where, as she told CBS News Colorado, groceries, gas and daycare remain unaffordable for many residents.

Although the race has been called, Colorado's results are not yet certified. Koppes said recount requests are welcomed and she believes the outcome will hold once certification is complete.

For her part, Laubacher has already attended orientation for incoming members of Congress in Washington, telling supporters, 'I am just feeling incredibly grateful to the people of Colorado's Fourth District who are placing their trust in me.'