Denver Judge Allows Retired Admiral Eileen Laubacher to Participate in Democratic Assembly

Denver District Court Judge Mark T. Bailey declined to issue a temporary restraining order that would have stopped retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher from participating in the Democratic precinct caucuses and the 4th Congressional District assembly, clearing the way for her to seek delegates while a legal challenge proceeds in case 2026CV30772. Media reporting places the ruling in the March 3–4, 2026 timeframe, and ColoradoPolitics noted precinct caucuses in some counties began less than 20 minutes after the decision.

The lawsuit was filed by Democratic candidate Trisha Calvarese and Lisa Chollet, chair of the Colorado Democratic Party 4th Congressional District Central Committee. Calvarese argued the party violated state election laws and said Laubacher is a “lifelong Republican,” urging party leaders to “enforce rules consistently, follow the law, and end the misguided favoritism toward establishment candidates.” Plaintiffs targeted Laubacher’s eligibility to participate in a district assembly that had been scheduled for March 26.

The Colorado Democratic Party and Laubacher’s campaign pushed back. Party spokesperson Andrew Nicla said the judge “made the right decision today. We look forward to a full hearing on the merits of this case and we remain committed to a fair caucus and assembly process and open access to the ballot.” Laubacher’s campaign manager Taylor Gillespie framed the effort as voter engagement, saying, “The caucus process exists to engage voters, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’ve been organizing for months, and we expect strong participation across the district, including more than 100 veterans supporting Eileen. Our focus remains exactly where it’s always been: engaging people, earning support, and winning in November.” The campaign has signaled it will pursue both the caucus/assembly route and petitioning onto the June 30 primary ballot.

Judge Bailey’s written reasoning addressed the immediate harm alleged by Calvarese, quoting the potential delegate threshold at issue: “The Court recognizes that Petitioner Calvarese could be prejudiced if she receives less than 15% of the support at tonight’s meeting — and that the likelihood of this occurring is higher if Ms. Laubacher is recognized as a candidate. However, that harm is speculative. Further, any such harm would not be irreparable, because Petitioner Calvarese will maintain the ability to persuade all delegates notwithstanding the results of any county assembly.” The order left Laubacher eligible to be recognized as a candidate at assemblies pending a full merits hearing.

The dispute also turned on who may change assembly dates. ColoradoPolitics reported an internal official identified only as Murib described a one-day rescheduling as “an elegant solution” that ensured an “arbitrary” earlier scheduling decision did not inadvertently disqualify a candidate, while plaintiffs contend the district chair holds that authority. The procedural fight matters in a district that includes most of Douglas County and the Eastern Plains and is described as the state’s safest Republican-held district, where incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert beat Calvarese by 12 points in 2024.

Financial stakes are high: Hoodline cited The Green Papers reporting Laubacher has pulled in roughly $6.5 million this cycle, while earlier reporting cited by Wikipedia and ColoradoPolitics noted she raised $1.9 million in her first 54 days as a candidate. With the lawsuit moving toward a full hearing later this month and Douglas County Elections set to mail primary ballots in June, Laubacher remains on track to pursue delegates at caucuses and assemblies and to qualify by petition for the June 30 primary while the court resolves the parties’ competing claims.