US Rep Lauren Boebert
Lauren Boebert Image Credit: Twitter

Denver: Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert’s lead has decreased against Democrat Adam Frisch in the tight race for a U.S. House seat representing a largely rural swath of Colorado.

Boebert, a conservative firebrand, saw her lead fall to about 615 votes with new results Thursday in a race that’s being closely watched across the country as Republicans try to bolster their advantage in the U.S. House after clinching a narrow majority Wednesday night.

Boebert’s margin puts the race within the threshold that would trigger a mandatory recount in the district. In Colorado, an automatic recount is triggered when the margin of votes between the top two candidates is at or below 0.5% of the leading candidate’s vote total. On Thursday afternoon, that margin was just below 0.4%.

Boebert is a Trump loyalist who gained widespread notoriety and a spot on the so-called “MAGA Squad” with her combative style. She had been favored to win reelection in the sprawling 3rd Congressional District after redistricting made the conservative district more Republican.