The Colorado Secretary of State has ordered a recount in the congressional race where Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert led Democrat Adam Frisch by just 550 votes in an unexpectedly tight race.
The Associated Press has declared the race too close to call and will await the results of the recount. The recount, which was expected, was formally announced Wednesday.
The race garnered national attention because Boebert was largely considered a lock for reelection after redistricting made the sprawling 3rd Congressional District that covers much of western Colorado more Republican.
Over a week after the polls closed, Boebert claimed victory and Frisch conceded the race. Frisch, a former city councilman from the posh ski town of Aspen, acknowledged a recount is unlikely to change the results.
In Colorado, an automatic recount is triggered when the margin of votes between the top two candidates is at or below 0.5% of the leading candidate’s vote total. That margin was around 0.34% after all the ballots were tabulated.
After testing their tabulation machines, 26 counties in the district will rescan ballots while San Juan County — which hand counts ballots for all elections and recounts — will run a manual recount. The process must be completed by Dec. 13.
Boebert, a Republican lightning rod and one of Congress's staunchest supporters of former President Donald Trump, claimed victory in a tweeted video from the U.S. Capitol.
In a virtual press conference announcing his concession, Frisch argued that the thin margin is its own small victory after his campaign was largely considered futile by the political establishment. He added that he hasn’t ruled out another bid for the seat in 2024.
