DENVER (KDVR) — Democrat Adam Frisch conceded the Colorado District 3 race to Republic Lauren Boebert during a news conference Friday morning.
Even though a recount is expected, Frisch conceded the race during a news conference on Friday morning.
“The voters have spoken and while we showed great progress, I remain down by a few hundred votes. This small margin triggers an automatic recount in Colorado’s election system. This recount is what Colorado voters have asked for in order to maintain trust in the election system and it is likely that the Secretary of State will mandate this recount in the coming weeks,” Frisch said.
The race is currently separated by 551 votes as of 11:30 a.m. Friday, with Boebert leading 163,758 to 163,207.
Colorado law says a recount will automatically happen if the difference in votes between the two candidates is less than 0.5% of the winner’s total.
Based on the current vote count, there would be an automatic recount because Boebert’s lead is less than 819, the current margin to trigger a mandatory recount.
Frisch explained that he is not asking for the recount. “We are not asking for this recount, it is one our citizens of Colorado mandate through our election system. We believe in the integrity of our elections in the great state of Colorado and are supportive of this recount to ensure continued faith in the security of our elections.”
“The likelihood of this recount changing more than a handful of votes is very very small. It would be disingenuous and unethical of us or any other group to continue to raise false hope and encourage fundraising for a recount. Colorado elections are safe, accurate and secure. Please save your money for your groceries, your rent, your children and other important causes and organizations,” Frisch said.
“I just got off the phone with Representative Boebert to formally concede this election,” Frisch shared.
FOX31 spoke to Boebert on Friday, a day after she declared victory on Twitter.
“We won! I am so thankful for all of your support and I am so proud to be your Representative!” Boebert tweeted on Thursday.
FOX31’s Kirk Yuhnke asked Boebert, “why declare victory when it’s so close and a recount is going to happen?”
“The last recount in Colorado was for a statewide office and it changed the vote by only 13 votes and again, that’s statewide. The process for a recount is very simple, they’ll run the same ballots and count the same ballots and once every legal vote is counted, I will have won this race,” Boebert said.
The FOX31 Data Desk analyzed recounts for the last decade. A recount is unlikely to change the outcome, according to a FairVote analysis of statewide and national races from all 50 states between 2010 and 2019.
“First of all, I do just want to say thank you to all of my supporters, my friends and my family, who have entrusted me with their votes once again to send me here, and especially to send me to the majority. Here in the 117th Congress, we are in the minority and we don’t have any power. We don’t have an opportunity to produce results that impact our nation,” Boebert explained.
Boebert said she hopes with a House majority of Republicans they will have the power to get policies passed that they’ve been working on over the past two years. She also explained that representatives on both sides of the aisle have campaigned on similar policies.
“I hope that Democrats govern as they have been campaigning. Many Democrats have campaigned on Republican policies, just like my opponent here in Colorado, who said that he was a conservative. He ran on the same policies that I’ve been working towards, securing the southern border, protecting the second amendment, increasing domestic energy production, reducing inflation and interest rates and crime. And these are the policies in rural Colorado and all across America want to see,” Boebert said.
You can watch the news conference on FOX31 NOW.
