U.S. House, Colorado 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 4th Congressional District?
Eileen Laubacher has the strongest record in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. Eileen Laubacher scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lauren Boebert at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Eileen Laubacher's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Boebert's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Luis Galvan (0 of 15 criteria) and Douglas Mangeris (2 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Lauren Boebert
58 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- 56
Write-in
Luis Galvan
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 0 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- NR
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Strongest record
Eileen Laubacher
63 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Douglas Mangeris
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Lauren Boebert
- Mark against2023-09-15
Was removed from a Denver 'Beetlejuice' performance for disruptive behavior on Sept. 10, 2023; her campaign denied she vaped until video showed it, and she apologized Sept. 15.
Sources: Associated Press via FOX 29, Sept. 16, 2023, The Colorado Sun, Sept. 15, 2023
- Mark against2021-09
Her campaign paid $6,650 in rent and utility bills in 2021, which an FEC filing reported and the FEC questioned as personal use; she reimbursed the campaign. No FEC penalty found.
Sources: NBC News, Sept. 2021, Denver7, Sept. 2021
- On the record2025-11
Kept her name on the discharge petition forcing a House vote on the Epstein files after a White House Situation Room meeting; Trump vetoed her Arkansas Valley Conduit bill Dec. 30, 2025.
Sources: CNN via KRDO, Nov. 12, 2025, KUNC (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Dec. 31, 2025
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors.
- Credit2025-01-04
Her standalone land transfer bill, the CONVEY Act, was signed into law Jan. 4, 2025; CEL rated her Exceeds Expectations for the 118th Congress.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Luis Galvan
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Eileen Laubacher
- On the record2025
Changed her registration from Republican to unaffiliated in 2024 and to Democrat in 2025 before running for Congress as a Democrat.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Douglas Mangeris
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Lauren Boebert. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine; the 2021 rent and utility payments from campaign funds were reimbursed with no FEC action found. Her 2025 annual disclosure is dated Sept. 24, 2026.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk financial disclosure, calendar year 2025, Filing ID 10078175, FEC administrative fines search
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026 and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Aug. 12, 2026 after an extension request. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076410, FEC administrative fines search
Douglas Mangeris. House candidate financial disclosure reports on the Clerk record (December 2025). No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10072998, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Lauren Boebert. One of four House Republicans who kept their names on the 2025 discharge petition to force a vote on the Epstein files despite White House outreach; President Trump then vetoed her Arkansas Valley Conduit bill and later attacked her on social media.
Sources: CNN via KRDO, Nov. 12, 2025, CPR News, 4th District voter guide, Sept. 24, 2026, KUNC (Colorado Capitol News Alliance), Dec. 31, 2025
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Lauren Boebert. No public record found.
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Lauren Boebert. In September 2023 she was removed from a Denver performance of 'Beetlejuice' for disruptive behavior, her campaign falsely denied she had vaped, and she then apologized. No House censure or Ethics finding found.
Sources: Associated Press via FOX 29, Sept. 16, 2023, The Colorado Sun, Sept. 15, 2023
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Thirty-four years of Navy service ending as a rear admiral, with no conduct finding found.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Lauren Boebert. Voted Yea on both Jan. 6, 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania).
Sources: House Clerk, Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk, Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Served 34 years in the Navy and Navy Reserve, retiring as a rear admiral. No official finding of misuse found.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Lauren Boebert. U.S. representative since January 2021, now in her third term: the 3rd District from 2021 to 2025 and the 4th District since 2025. Earlier owned a restaurant in Rifle.
Source: GovTrack
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Retired Navy rear admiral; defense attache at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and senior director for South Asia at the National Security Council. Has not held elected office.
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Douglas Mangeris. Construction superintendent from Loveland and a Federal Firearms Licensee. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Lauren Boebert. Vice chair of the Natural Resources Oversight and Investigations subcommittee; her bills to delist the gray wolf and create unique ZIP codes for Colorado towns passed the House.
Sources: GovTrack, CPR News, 4th District voter guide, Sept. 24, 2026
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Gives specific proposals: end broad tariffs, require insurers to negotiate better rates with rural hospitals and pay contracted amounts, and support for the ROAD to Housing law.
Source: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Lauren Boebert. Gave an issue interview for CPR's voter guide. Did not return the Denver Post questionnaire and has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, answered the Denver Post questionnaire and gave a CPR issue interview.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Eileen Laubacher, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Lauren Boebert. Moved to Windsor in the 4th District in January 2024. About 47 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Colorado (FEC, through June 30, 2026).
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Has lived in Colorado since the late 1990s and lives in Highlands Ranch, in the district. About 25 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Colorado (FEC, through June 30, 2026).
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, The Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Lauren Boebert. Runs a House office with district offices in Lone Tree and Eaton; campaign reports are on file with no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: Boebert House site, Office Locations, FEC administrative fines search
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. Campaign has raised more than $10 million with reports on file and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: CPR News, Sept. 25, 2026, FEC administrative fines search
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Lauren Boebert. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates her Exceeds Expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 2.62 against a benchmark of 1.19). GovTrack counts 2 bills she sponsored as enacted, including the CONVEY Act.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, House data 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Lauren Boebert. Missed 122 of 2,915 roll call votes, 4.2 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Lauren Boebert. Offers casework through district offices in Lone Tree and Eaton.
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Lauren Boebert. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.98667 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 428 of 436, bottom quarter.
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Lauren Boebert. No public record found.
Luis Galvan. No public record found.
Eileen Laubacher. No public record found.
Douglas Mangeris. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Colorado's 4th Congressional District?
Eileen Laubacher has the strongest record in Colorado's 4th Congressional District. Eileen Laubacher scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lauren Boebert at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Eileen Laubacher's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lauren Boebert's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Luis Galvan (0 of 15 criteria) and Douglas Mangeris (2 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Colorado's 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Lauren Boebert (Republican, incumbent), Luis Galvan (Write-in), Eileen Laubacher (Democratic), Douglas Mangeris (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Lauren Boebert a good candidate for Congress?
Lauren Boebert scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Luis Galvan a good candidate for Congress?
Luis Galvan has public evidence on 0 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Eileen Laubacher a good candidate for Congress?
Eileen Laubacher scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Douglas Mangeris a good candidate for Congress?
Douglas Mangeris has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Colorado race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Colorado 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.