Representative Lauren Boebert claims the Republican Party is "too moderate" following a sweep of midterm losses, even as she faces potential defeat in her own conservative district.
The race in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District — one of the state’s most conservative seats — has not yet been officially called by election officials or major wire services. However, CNN’s Decision Desk projected this week that Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral who campaigned heavily on economic affordability, would unseat the three-term congresswoman.
Boebert, 39, has refused to concede the race, pointing to uncounted military and overseas ballots. The projected upset in Colorado reflects a wider night for Democrats, who picked up seats from Kansas to Texas to win back the House majority.
In an interview on Tuesday evening, which has since been posted to X, Boebert attributed the broader GOP losses to flawed party messaging and an insufficient legislative output rather than the party's conservative platform.
"A lot of it was the Senate, so I mean there's a lot of variables here," Boebert said, as reported by journalists covering the aftermath of the midterms.
Asked directly by a reporter, "Do you think the party needs to moderate at all?" Boebert responded, "No, we're definitely moderate enough."
The reporter pressed further: "I mean, you guys lost from Kansas to Texas," before asking, "Wait, do you?"
"Yeah, there are a lot of different kinds of Republicans that lost," Boebert answered. "So, I mean, you've got a lot of ultraconservatives, and then you've got the Fitzpatricks and the Lawlers that are all, so."
The congresswoman was referencing Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York, two moderate Republicans from swing districts who lost their re-election bids — Fitzpatrick to Democrat Bob Harvie in Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, and Lawler to Democrat Cait Connelly in New York's 17th Congressional District.
"Wait, it sounds like you think you guys were too moderate. That's why you are," the reporter observed.
"I always think we're too moderate," Boebert replied.
Reporter: Do you think the party needs to moderate at all?
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 10, 2026
Boebert: No, we’re definitely moderate enough.
Reporter: I mean, you guys lost from Kansas to Texas. It sounds like you think you guys were too moderate.
Boebert: I always think we’re too moderate. pic.twitter.com/V5ojqe0Obg
When questioned about her own positions — "Do you think you're too moderate on Iran?" — Boebert said, "I was very frustrated with the war."
On Monday evening, she told reporters that she hoped they’d “have a number on Friday.”
"And whatever decisions are, whatever comes of that, then we’ll accept that and move forward in whatever way," she said.
With roughly 98 percent of the vote tallied, Laubacher held 48.8 percent to Boebert’s 47.9 percent — a separation of about 3,200 votes — while Libertarian candidate Douglas Mangeris drew roughly 3 percent. Scott Gessler, a campaign attorney for Boebert, stated that the team was investigating "some very unusual voting patterns," though he did not expand on the claim.
During an October campaign debate, Boebert voiced criticism of President Donald Trump's war in Iran while voting against congressional measures aimed at ending the conflict, characterizing those votes as purely symbolic. Laubacher argued during the debate that those votes ignored constituents seeking an end to the war.
Laubacher, 58, completed a 34-year career in the U.S. Navy before retiring as a rear admiral in 2024. She later served on the National Security Council under former President Joe Biden, having previously been a registered Republican.
Boebert first rose to national prominence as an outspoken ally of Trump after capturing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2020 by defeating a five-term Republican incumbent in a primary.
After winning re-election in 2022 by just 546 votes over Democrat Adam Frisch, she chose to switch to the significantly more conservative 4th District for the 2024 election cycle to preserve her political position. She secured the seat in 2024 by 11 percentage points, while Trump carried the district by more than 18 points.
Throughout her tenure, Boebert established herself as one of the most visible figures of the GOP’s MAGA faction, once labeled by Biden as a leader of the "extreme MAGA movement," while frequently clashing with House leadership, including former speakers Kevin McCarthy and Mike Johnson.
Although Trump endorsed her days before the election as a "MAGA Warrior," he previously criticized her earlier in the year as "dumb" and "weak-minded" after she stumped for Representative Thomas Massie, a vocal Trump critic.
Boebert also defied both Trump and House GOP leadership by aligning with Democrats to force the release of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, resisting White House attempts to block the disclosure over victim privacy concerns.
