Colorado GOP calls on Boebert challenger to withdraw from race, save taxpayers money on recount effort

The Colorado GOP on Wednesday called on Democrat Adam Frisch to withdraw from the race against Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert and save taxpayers money in a recount. 

The statement came hours before Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered a mandatory recount in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. Per state law, a mandatory 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. 

Frisch conceded the closely watched U.S. House race against Boebert on Nov. 18. With nearly all votes counted, the incumbent Boebert leads Frisch by about 0.17 percentage points, or 554 votes out of more than 327,000 votes counted.

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Frisch has said he supports the mandatory recount but believes it would be unrealistic to think it would flip enough votes for him to win. He called Boebert to concede the race.

On Wednesday, the Colorado GOP called on Frisch to withdraw from the race and not burden taxpayers with potentially millions of dollars. 

“A recount will be expensive – which is why Frisch is not asking his supporters to donate to it. Rather, he is sticking that bill to the Colorado taxpayers. If recounted by voting machines, the recount effort is estimated to cost taxpayers between $100,000 and $300,000. If recounted by hand the recount is estimated to conservatively cost taxpayers between $1 million and $3 million,” the Colorado GOP wrote on Twitter. 

It added: “Instead of funding a wasteful and frivolous recount, taxpayer dollars should go towards worthy causes that actually help Colorado’s Third District.” 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Frisch’s campaign office for comment. 

On Thursday, Frisch said he was “fully supportive of the recount process” but “could not, in good faith, perpetuate false hope that there is a good chance of the recount changing the outcome of the election.” 

“My concession remains sincere but has no legal implications — under no circumstances did I want it to stop (which it legally cannot) this recount of votes,” he said. “If, by some slight of chance, there is a big enough vote to put us in the lead after the recount, we would be certified the winner and sworn into congress on January 3rd. But the reality is we do not expect the results of this election to change with the recount.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.