Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert was still trailing Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher in the latest reported count for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District on Nov. 12, 2026. Laubacher had claimed victory, and CNN projected that she would win, while Boebert had called for every vote to be counted. The race came two years after Boebert moved districts, a decision she publicly linked in part to turmoil after her divorce from Jayson Boebert.
Jayson and Lauren married in 2005 and raised four sons. Before Lauren entered Congress, the couple was known locally for Shooters Grill, their restaurant in Rifle, Colorado. Their marriage ended in October 2023 after 18 years.
Jayson has remained in the public record through the couple’s family and through court proceedings following their separation. In June 2024, he pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in a case involving one of their sons. A separate incident involving Lauren at a restaurant also led to charges against him, which were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Who is Jayson Boebert, and what did he do before Lauren entered Congress?
Jayson worked in Colorado’s energy industry. He and Lauren also operated Shooters Grill in Rifle, a western Colorado city along the Colorado River. The restaurant became known for allowing staff to openly carry firearms. That policy attracted visitors and national coverage, and the restaurant became part of Lauren’s public story as she entered politics.
Lauren ran for the U.S. House in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and took office in January 2021. The district included Rifle, where the couple had run their business. Shooters Grill closed in 2022 after its lease was not renewed. By then, Lauren had spent more than a year in Congress, and the restaurant that had helped bring her to national attention was closing its doors.
Their four sons are Tyler, Brody, Kaydon and Roman. Lauren has discussed being a mother in public, while the divorce and later proceedings brought a more limited set of family details into news reports. She and Jayson remained connected through their children after they separated.
When did Lauren and Jayson Boebert divorce?
Lauren filed for divorce in 2023, and the marriage formally ended that October. She cited irreconcilable differences when explaining the decision publicly. The filing came during her second term in Congress, when she was still representing the district that included the area where the family had lived.
Later that year, Lauren announced that she would run in the 4th District. It covers a different part of Colorado, including areas east of the Rocky Mountains and parts of the Denver suburbs. She moved from Silt in western Colorado to Windsor and said the family’s circumstances contributed to her decision. The switch also changed her electoral prospects after she had narrowly won reelection in the 3rd District in 2022.
Lauren won the 4th District seat in 2024. In 2026, she sought another term in that same district and faced Laubacher, a retired Navy rear admiral. The close count put Lauren’s move back in the news, more than three years after her divorce was finalized.
What happened between the former couple after the divorce?
In January 2024, Lauren and Jayson were involved in a dispute at a restaurant in Silt. Authorities filed charges against Jayson after the incident. Days later, a separate encounter involving one of their sons led to additional charges. Lauren subsequently obtained a temporary restraining order against Jayson after alleging he had threatened her and entered the family home without permission.
In June 2024, Jayson pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in connection with the incident involving his son. The court imposed six months of unsupervised probation. The restaurant-related charges and other charges stemming from the incident at home were dismissed under the agreement.
Lauren and Jayson’s marriage spanned the years when they raised their sons in western Colorado, ran a restaurant and saw Lauren enter Congress. Their divorce was final before she won the 4th District seat, and the 2026 race was her second general election in that district.