Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado loses House seat to Democrat Eileen Laubacher

DENVER (AP) — Democrat Eileen Laubacher defeated Rep. Lauren Boebert for a Colorado U.S. House seat on Friday, ousting a three-term Republican and staple of conservative media.

Laubacher is a former Navy rear admiral. Her win in the 4th Congressional District race is just one of several surprising Republican losses in what’s shaping up to be the most lopsided election in half a century.

Boebert embodied this decade’s version of Republican politics. The telegenic owner of a gun-themed restaurant named “Shooters Grill” in the western Colorado town of Rifle, she catapulted to notoriety alongside President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

Once elected to Congress, she refused to pass through metal detectors at the U.S. Capitol and taunted Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of the “jihad squad.” After barely surviving her first reelection campaign, Boebert moved across Colorado to a more Republican district.

Republicans carried the 4th District by more than 18 percentage points in 2024. But even that wasn’t safe for her in this year’s midterm elections.

Boebert acknowledged the widespread losses as she returned to the Capitol this week, saying, “We collectively failed.”

“It’s very clear,” she said. “The American people let us know we have failed in this governing experience for this Congress.”

Rep.-elect Eileen Laubacher, D-Colo., arrives for first day of new member orientation at the Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., arrives for a House GOP leadership candidate forum and elections for the 120th Congress, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

LONDON (AP) — Unauthorized drone activity has prompted a security response at an American base in Britain, the U.S. military said Friday.

Security forces at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in eastern England have responded to unauthorized drone activity, and the U.S. military is taking “all measures” to keep base installations, aircraft and service members safe, a spokesperson for U.S. European Command said.

The spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, added that no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure have been affected by the activity.

The response comes just days after the U.S. moved more than a dozen aircraft from a different base in eastern England because of a threat.

Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

FILE - An F15 is towed from the main runway at RAF Lakenheath, home of the British-based USAF 48th Fighter Wing, April, 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)