Colorado — 4th District

The dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo: Daniel Huizinga / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from Original

(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Windsor, and her Democratic challenger, retired Adm. Eileen Laubacher, clashed Monday night during a fiery debate in the race for Colorado's 4th Congressional District.

They disputed each other's qualifications and debated national security, affordability, public safety, government accountability and the conflict with Iran. The issues were discussed in a race that's expected to be close as Republicans and Democrats wrestle for control of the House in the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Boebert previously served in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District before being elected to represent the 4th Congressional District in 2024. She won in the 2024 general election by 11% against Democratic challenger Trisha Calvarese. Boebert’s venture into politics didn’t come until 2020 when she initially ran for the 3rd District and was sworn into office in 2021.

Boebert’s opponent this time around, Laubacher, is also relatively new to the political sphere. She spent 34 years with the U.S. Navy, during which she was promoted to admiral in 2018. She retired in 2024. Laubacher was previously a Republican who supported U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, during his 2016 presidential campaign, but then was an independent for less than a year before becoming a Democrat.

Both candidates discussed their qualifications during their opening remarks at Monday night's debate at KUSA-TV's studio in Denver, moderated by 9News anchor Kyle Clark. Boebert distinguished herself from Laubacher, who she claims is “banking on military industrial complex stocks” and “hoping to benefit from all of the military budgets passed.”

Laubacher’s opening remarks explained her military history. She said she's running because there is too much “chaos” in Washington, D.C..

She then had the opportunity to elaborate on her previous claims that Boebert is not being a patriot, but rather an "embarrassment,” and at one point, a “domestic threat to America.”

“I believe on Jan. 6, Mrs. Boebert posed a threat to America when she said the election wasn’t a valid one, and that’s a real problem for me," Laubacher said, referring to the floor debate in 2021 as Congress certified Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory over Republican President Donald Trump. At the same time, a riot by pro-Trump protesters took place outside and inside the Capitol, with Boebert later reassuring supporters she and her staff were safely relocated and that she condemned violent demonstrations.

Boebert was identified among other Republicans in former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony to the House Jan. 6 Committee. Hutchinson testified that a small group of Republican lawmakers met with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in early to late November to explore ways in which Vice President Mike Pence could intervene or delay the election certification.

Boebert responded to Laubacher’s claim by saying she stood by her speech regarding the Jan. 6 incident and the remarks that followed about the 2020 presidential election.

In addressing affordability, which has been a top concern among Colorado voters and Americans across the U.S., Laubacher questioned Boebert’s true commitment to serving and delivering on the priorities and concerns for Coloradans.

“She’s voting for things that continue to push [costs] forward, like tariffs, which she voted for eight times, all the way to the Iran war," Laubacher said.

In June, Boebert voted against the Iran War Powers Resolution, which passed the House and Senate and was a symbolic, non-binding directive to remove U.S. forces from the conflict. Her vote meant Boebert wasn't calling on Trump to pull the troops.

But in March, she publicly broke apart from other Republicans when she announced she would not vote for any supplemental or additional funding for the conflict in Iran.

During the debate Monday, Boebert said, “I never wanted us to be at war with Iran."

But she added, "I will also stand by the president as he is the commander-in-chief." She noted previous administrations have used force in similar ways for national security.

Boebert pressed Laubaucher on her agreement with Trump’s tariffs, most notably during his first term.

Laubacher denied this, noting tariffs are a good tool only if they are used correctly. She noted the current tariffs are not being used well.

“I believe they are being used as an effective tool,” Boebert responded.

Laubacher said Colorado farmers and ranchers told her they disagree with that.

The two candidates were asked whether they believe Trump’s tariffs had benefits that outweighed the consequences, notably the increase of food costs and gas.

Although Boebert has generally agreed with most of the administration's tariffs, she criticized a deal Trump made with Argentina to expand imports of Argentinan lean beef.

She said her conversations with American farmers and ranchers revealed the imports substantially hurt their income and livelihood.

Boebert and Laubacher both opposed the deal.

Regarding housing affordability, Boebert was pressed on the fact she voted against the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, when every other Colorado Republican in Congress voted in favor of it.

She said she did vote for the House’s version of the bill, but did not agree with the Senate’s version of the bill.

“I applaud the base of the bill. The House’s version was better than the Senate version …," Boebert said. "That’s why I've introduced legislation that can actually take your rent payments and apply them to your credit score so you can apply for a mortgage.”

She also noted her contention with the Senate bill was the central bank digital currency provision and other privacy related concerns.

On the privacy concerns – specifically as it relates to national security – Boebert charged her opponent with working for registered foreign agents. “As soon as there was the implosion of the Gaza Pier, she retired from the military and went to K2 – a military consulting firm – and they were quickly awarded nearly $1 million in contract and then went to WestExec … which is a Saudi-registered foreign agent.”

Laubaucher responded with context, noting her employment with K2 came about when she spent time in Hawaii working on plans to rebuild infrastructure following the Maui fires in 2023.

And, regarding her time at WestExec, she said she only billed about $1,500 for services and only sat in on three meetings, but there was never an official agreement signed for her work on any projects, and she eventually left the firm.

Boebert pressed harder on her alleged wrongful conduct. “I think that it’s a big problem to work for a company that is a subsidiary of Teneo, that is owned by the Saudis. This is also connected to Doug Band and Epstein-enablers.”

Laubaucher denied this conduct and further noted she opposed the conflict with Iran, unlike Boebert’s Republican contemporaries, who have largely supported the war efforts more than their Democratic counterparts.

“There’s a reason we have not gone to war with Iran in 40-plus years … The Strait of Hormuz closes, and there are unintended consequences," Laubacher said, then referring to the unintentional U.S. military strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran: "The fact that 150 schoolgirls were killed is serious.”

Laubacher also referred to her service with the Navy.

“I am the only one here who has been in war," the retired admiral said. "If you believe this war is [not] worth it, then you should be voting against it."

The candidates also discussed how to lower gas prices and increase affordability among the states. On Friday, President Trump signed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was aimed at supplying the U.S. with Russian diesel fuel to lower diesel costs.

Boebert supported Trump’s actions, while Laubacher did not.

Although the two differed on issues reg