Rep. Lauren Boebert might be subject to a mandatory recount in an unexpectedly close campaign in a conservative Colorado district, where she leads her Democratic opponent by only 551 votes.
The Associated Press has deemed the 3rd Congressional District race too close to call. With virtually all ballots counted, incumbent Boebert leads Democratic challenger Adam Frisch by 0.16 percentage points, with approximately 327,000 votes counted.
Under Colorado law, a margin this thin qualifies for an automatic recount in a race that has attracted national interest as Republicans attempt to increase their numbers after capturing control of the US House of Representatives by a close margin on Wednesday.
Adam Frisch, the Democratic contender, behind Boebert by only 551 votes, or 0.16 percentage points.
AP
As county officials finalized preliminary results, Thursday, Boebert’s already tenuous lead was halved. By Thursday evening, 26 of the 27 counties in the district had reported final results. On Friday, Otero County will finish its figures.
In Colorado, a mandated recount is initiated when the margin of votes between the top two candidates is 0.5% or less of the total votes cast for the leading candidate. On Thursday evening, this margin was around 0.34%.
The revised figures are the product of frantic efforts by both campaigns to “cure” votes, which is the process of validating voters’ selections if their ballots were rejected in the original count.
The campaigns of Boebert and Frisch spent days “curing” votes, which is a process reserved for ballots that had been initially rejected.
AFP Images via Getty
On Thursday night, Boebert, an ardent member of the so-called “MAGA Squad” comprised of staunch supporters of Donald Trump, prematurely declared victory in a video she posted while standing in front of the United States Capitol.
“In January, you can count on two things,” Boebert said before thanking her supporters. “I will be sworn in for my second term as your representative, and Republicans will finally be able to transform Pelosi’s house back into the People’s House.”
Prior to election night, Boebert, the former owner of a gun-themed restaurant, was heavily favored to win reelection after redistricting made the 3rd District heavily Republican. He is best known for picking public fights with high-profile Democrats such as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
The political elite was stunned by her razor-thin margin over Aspen businessman Frisch Frisch.
During an election night party, Boebert is spotted praying with her spouse.
Denver Post via Getty Images
Frisch, a former City Council member who ran on a conservative platform to attract Republican voters weary of Boebert’s Trump-inspired approach, said he expected a tight election and was confident he would win.
“We cannot be astonished if we lose,” he continued. We are not that insane.
Using Post wirings