Rep. Lauren Boebert, a hard-line Republican, on Friday narrowly lost her bid for reelection in a conservative Colorado district, according to The Associated Press, an outcome that showed just how deeply Democrats encroached into Republican territory this year.

Boebert, a fiery favorite of the MAGA movement, switched congressional districts a few years ago after her old seat in Colorado grew more competitive. But the change was not enough to keep her from being ousted by Eileen Laubacher, a Democrat and a retired rear admiral in the Navy.

Laubacher declared victory Monday, and was leading by more than 3,000 votes when the race was called Friday. Boebert, who amplified President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election in 2020, has not yet conceded. Her lawyer suggested last week that Boebert would request a recount.

Democrats flooded the airwaves in the district with more than $7 million worth of ads, outspending Republicans by more than 23 to 1, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Many of the ads fixed on Boebert’s polarizing nature and past scandals, with one calling her “uniquely unfit.” Another ad contrasted Laubacher’s profile as a Navy veteran and mother of five with headlines about Boebert.

Democrats had viewed Boebert as vulnerable in the closing stretch of this year’s race, as her once-close alliance with Trump became a liability among voters who blamed his administration for high gas prices and other affordability concerns.

Laubacher ran on a centrist platform but hammered Boebert for her votes against resolutions directing Trump to end the war in Iran or seek congressional approval. She also made a promise to protect rural hospitals in the wake of Medicaid cuts.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Bayliss Wagner and Kellen Browning/Kenny Hoslton
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