Bobert, a conservative, saw her lead drop to about 556 votes in new results Thursday in a closely watched race across the country as Republicans try to shore up their lead in the U.S. House after holding a narrow majority in Wednesday night. Bobert’s margin puts the race within range of what would trigger a mandatory recount in the district. In Colorado, an automatic recount is triggered when the vote margin between the top two candidates is equal to or less than 0.5% of the top candidate’s vote total. On Thursday, that margin was around 0.34%. The updated results follow a tumultuous few days for both campaigns as they tried to “heal” ballots — the process of confirming voters’ choices if their ballots were rejected in the initial count. Both the Republican and Democratic national campaign committees had boots on the ground in Colorado to support the efforts. Bobert is a Trump loyalist who gained wide fame and a spot on the so-called “MAGA Team” with her combative style. She had been favored to win re-election in the sprawling 3rd Congressional District after redistricting made the conservative district more Republican. Frisch, a businessman who served on the City Council in the upscale ski town of Aspen, tried to woo Republican voters by downplaying his membership in the Democratic Party and tapping into the Democratic Party’s frustration with Bobert’s polarizing rhetoric and what he called ” her rage’. To Frisch, his unexpected support among voters shows that frustration. Win or lose, he said, “I think 99% of the story is here.” Frisch said he expected a close race and wouldn’t be surprised if he won. But the candidate, who attended congressional orientation in Washington, D.C., this week for newly elected representatives, added: “Obviously we can’t be surprised if we lose. We’re not that crazy.” A representative for Bobert did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report from Washington, DC Bedayn is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.

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