Lauren Boebert Says Voters Were 'Played by the Markets' While Her Trump-Friendly Seat Hangs by a Thread

Rep. Lauren Boebert said she and the American people had been 'played by the markets', as she clings to hope in a race she appears to be losing in a district Donald Trump won by 18 points in 2024.

The Colorado Republican trails Democrat Eileen Laubacher by more than 3,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted, and has vowed the race is 'NOT over'.

'Everything Is Just Dropping'

Boebert made the remarks on Thursday to NewsNation's Blake Burman, The Hill reported. Asked what went wrong for Republicans, she said there was 'a lot that went wrong' and that voters 'were played by the markets'.

'Everything is just dropping,' she said, pointing to fuel prices. 'I have gas that is under $3 a gallon in my district now, when everything was closer to $6 a gallon just over a week ago.'

Statewide figures are less dramatic. Colorado's average regular petrol price fell from about $4.07 (£3.06) to $3.75 (£2.82) a gallon between 2 and 9 November, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

She also described the midterm result as 'absolutely a cry that the American people do not want corruption from anyone, any time'.

Blaming Policy

Boebert said she would 'start with policy' when explaining the defeat, and pointed to fights the House Freedom Caucus had lost.

'We were fighting on FISA to have warrants for surveilling American citizens,' she said. 'We wanted fair elections, and there's so much that we just weren't heard on.' She added: 'We wanted to ban insider trading for members of Congress.'

A Race Not Yet Called

As of Tuesday evening, with more than 95 per cent of votes counted, Decision Desk HQ had Laubacher ahead by 3,362 votes, 48.79 per cent to 47.91 per cent, The Hill reported. CNN projected Laubacher as the winner on 9 November, a call cheered by Colorado's Democratic governor-elect Phil Weiser, but Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press had yet to call the race in their latest updates.

Laubacher declared victory on Monday. 'This victory is historic. But making history means nothing if we don't make a difference,' she said, Colorado Politics reported.

Boebert hit back. 'Make no mistake, this race is NOT over!' she said, adding that her campaign was preparing for a recount. Her attorney, Scott Gessler, said counties would release final counts on 13 November.

Colorado law triggers an automatic recount only when the gap between the top two candidates is 0.5 per cent or less of the leader's total, roughly 931 votes based on Monday's count. Laubacher's lead is well outside that. Candidates can request a recount at any margin, but must pay for it.

Boebert's relationship with Trump has not been smooth. In May, the president called for a primary challenge against her after she backed Rep. Thomas Massie in his Kentucky primary, Colorado Politics reported. The demand came too late, as Colorado's primary ballot had already been set.

Boebert later said any rift had been mended, and Trump reiterated his endorsement in the days before the election. If the result holds, Boebert will join other Republican incumbents defeated in a midterm that handed Democrats both chambers of Congress.