DENVER (KDVR) — The race between Lauren Boebert and Adam Frisch is still undecided, but preparations for the next meeting of Congress must go on.
That’s why Frisch is in Washington for new-member orientation, even as he trails his incumbent opponent by 1,122 votes. Newly elected lawmakers arrived for orientation on Monday, including the handful of candidates who remain in undecided races.
“It is in the best interest of the district for me to attend new member orientation given the closeness of this race, which could be unsettled for another month,” Frisch said in a statement.
Frisch said that congressional candidates in close races show up for new-member orientation every election cycle, “and the invite list and process is run by non-partisan House administration.”
Thousands of votes still uncounted in CO-3 race
Frisch, a Democrat and former Aspen city council member, had a strong showing in the race, leading Boebert by thousands of votes on election night. Once Boebert took the lead on Thursday, her advantage grew from just dozens of votes at one point to hundreds as counts trickled in.
Frisch said 3,000-6,000 ballots — cured, overseas and others — are still outstanding in the 3rd District race. Ballots from overseas voters, which had to be postmarked by Nov. 8, are due by Wednesday. Then, the next state-mandated reporting update is on Friday.
The district leans Republican. Voters there have not sent a Democrat to Congress since 2008.
Could Boebert-Frisch race go to recount?
Both Boebert and Frisch were fundraising this week on the recount possibility, with each candidate referencing a possible recount when tweeting out donation links.
In Colorado, the law allows for recounts in any race and requires them in the closest races, when the tallied vote difference is within a 0.5-point margin. So, whether required or requested, when would a Boebert-Frisch recount take place?
By Dec. 5, the Secretary of State’s Office must certify the election or order mandatory recounts where needed, and those recounts must be done by Dec. 13. Candidates and political organizations will have until Dec. 6 to request recounts, which must be done by Dec. 15.
The FOX31 Data Desk found election recounts are exceptionally rare in Colorado, and outcomes are only reversed when the candidates were within a few hundred votes of each other in the original count.
The 118th U.S. Congress is scheduled to meet in Washington starting Jan. 3.
The Democratic Party retained control of the U.S. Senate this election, bringing a win for the current presidential administration, as the party in executive power usually fares worse in the midterms. But on Tuesday evening, Decision Desk HQ projected that the Republican Party had won the majority in the U.S. House.