Democrat Challenger Raised 22 Times More Than Lauren Boebert in Latest Quarter

Have Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s many, many controversies finally caught up to her?

Newly released third-quarter fundraising numbers reveal that Boebert is significantly lacking compared to the Democratic challengers hoping to take over Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in 2026.

Boebert raised just $110,000 in the last three months, ending the quarter with $184,000 cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Meanwhile, CD4 candidate Eileen Laubacher raised nearly $2.5 million in the quarter, having almost $2 million cash on hand.

“I’ve listened to veterans driving hours for care they’ve earned, hospitals struggling to keep their doors open, and families hit by rising costs. Lauren Boebert ignores them,” Laubacher said in a campaign email. “She won’t show up, won’t answer their questions, and won’t lift a finger in Congress to help. I will. I’ll show up, I’ll listen, and I’ll fight for real solutions for the people of this district.”

Laubacher is a political newcomer who quickly gained a large online following after announcing her CD4 campaign in May. The Democratic candidate is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral who served for 34 years. She also served as the senior director for South Asia on the National Security Council under President Joe Biden from 2022 to 2024.

In total, Laubacher’s campaign has raised over $4.4 million. That is more than any other non-incumbent running for the U.S. House in 2026, according to the FEC ranking as of Thursday, October 16.

Even including sitting House representatives, only nine candidates have raised more than Laubacher this year, based on the FEC ranking. Those candidates include some of the most powerful politicians in Congress, such as celebrity Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Of the $2.5 million that Laubacher raised in the latest quarter, just $5,000 came from political committees and the rest came from individual donors, according to FEC filings. Of Boebert’s $110,000, political committees contributed $11,000.

Boebert also raised less money in quarter three than Trisha Calvarese, who is once again looking to challenge her for the House seat. Democrat Calvarese is a labor activist and speechwriter who lost against the congresswoman in November, receiving 42 percent of the votes.

Calvarese raised over $500,000 in the last three months, ending the quarter with nearly $350,000 cash on hand. Her team called Boebert’s fundraising “abysmal” in a campaign email on Thursday.

“This is not in line with what a sitting Congresswoman with national starpower can do,” Calvarese’s email read. “[Boebert’s] campaign is disintegrating before our very eyes. There is no explanation for this other than that she has given up.”

In total, Boebert has raised around $612,000 this election cycle. At this point in the 2024 election cycle, she had raised $1.6 million, according to a report from The Hill from October 2023. During the third quarter of 2021, Boebert out-fundraised every other congressional candidate in the state, collecting over $990,000 in three months, The Gazette reported at the time.

Boebert’s campaign did not immediately respond to Westword‘s request for comment.

Though Boebert is trailing in fundraising, Democratic candidates face a major uphill battle in CD4. The district in eastern Colorado is the state’s most conservative congressional seat.

However, Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District was also considered a Republican stronghold in 2022 when Boebert beat Democrat Adam Frisch by just 546 votes, making it the closest U.S. House race in the country. After fleeing CD3, Boebert won the CD4 seat with less than 54 percent of the votes in 2024, compared to predecessor Ken Buck’s 61 percent in 2022.

The Democratic primary election is set for June 30, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.