DENVER — The 3rd Congressional District race in Colorado is still too close to call Thursday as several counties continue to count ballots.
Republican Lauren Boebert took a lead of 386 votes around 10:30 a.m. over Democrat Adam Frisch after Frisch led by just a few dozen votes for most of the latter half of Tuesday.
By 11:30 a.m., that lead grew to 433 votes for Boebert. By 3 p.m., her lead had grow to 794 votes. And by 4:30 p.m., her lead grew to 1,229 votes. But at 6:39 p.m., her lead decreased to 1,136 votes. At 9:37 p.m., her lead decreased to 1,122 votes.
But some counties are still counting ballots still as of Thursday afternoon, though it’s not clear exactly how many ballots remain outstanding.
Counties in the district also have until next week to accept ballots from military members and overseas voters and will have to give time for voters to cure their ballots.
In a new statement Thursday afternoon, Frisch said he was still waiting for every ballot to be counted in the race.
"Every vote matters in this incredibly close race and thousands of votes in Pueblo County and from military and overseas voters remain, and a considerable number of curable ballots remain as well," Frisch said. "It is crucial for our democracy to count every vote and I have full confidence in the 27 county clerks in this district to conduct a fair count. While I remain confident, I will ultimately respect the results of this election regardless of the outcome."
The race is now one of the most closely watched races in the country, much less in Colorado. Boebert won her 2020 election by 6 percentage points and about 25,000 votes over Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush, and her district leans even more Republican after redistricting.
An average of eight statewide elections showed the newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District leans Republican by 9.3%.
On Wednesday afternoon, Frisch, the former Aspen City Councilman, led Boebert by about 2,500 votes. By 8 p.m., his lead was down to 73 votes, and by 9:17 p.m., Frisch had a 64-vote lead.
If the margin between the leading candidate and the second-place candidate is equal to or less than 0.5% of the number of votes cast for the leading candidate, the race would go to an automatic recount under Colorado law. Candidates are also allowed to request a recount that would be paid for at their own expense.
While the race has captured attention across the country, voters in Boebert's hometown of Rifle are monitoring the race even closer.
"After everything we've seen in our country over the last two years, I thought it'd be a landslide [Boebert victory]," Gage Johnston, a Rifle resident who voted for Boebert, said.
Others who voted for Boebert like Alesha Marrow said it was a little harder voting for her this year, compared to 2020.
"So I vote Republican, but I'm not a fan of either one. [Frisch didn't make me sway and she I struggled with her a little bit," Marrow said. I respect her as a mom and a business owner and a small town person, which I was excited about and then I saw some things that are red flags for me on that side."
Frisch sent a letter to his supporters Wednesday morning saying it was his honor to run and that he and his campaign were waiting for all the ballots to be counted.
“Hopefully soon Coloradans and Americans alike can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that there is one less extremist in office,” he said. “We will keep you updated as the vote counting continues.”
Boebert, who stayed quiet Wednesday, was back tweeting Thursday morning — about Jesus, “winning,” and a meme about waiting for results in her race.
After Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer conceded to Democrat Dr. Yadira Caraveo in the 8th Congressional District on Wednesday, the 3rd Congressional District race is the last one to be called in Colorado. Democrats currently hold a 5-2 lead in Congressional seats based on the results so far.
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This is a developing news story that will be updated.
