US firebrand Republican Lauren Boebert wins re-election after recount

A recount has confirmed Republican firebrand Lauren Boebert has won a second term in Congress, adding another seat to the party’s slim majority in the House of Representatives.

Ms Boebert barely held off her Democratic challenger, businessman Adam Frisch, reclaiming Colorado’s third district by just 546 votes.

The razor-thin margin triggered an automatic recount under Colorado law.

Mr Frisch, who campaigned as a moderate, conceded the race last month.

In a Twitter video posted after all the state counties had finished the recounts, Ms Boebert thanked her supporters and said she was “thrilled Republicans now hold the gavel in the people’s House”.

She promised to promising “to stand up for our conservative principles, to be a strong voice for freedom, and to do everything I can to secure our God-given rights”.

On the campaign trail Mr Frisch, the former Aspen city councillor, had worked to paint Ms Boebert – a hardline conservative – as an extremist politician who was more focused on her political profile than on her constituents.

After the recount results were announced late Monday, he released a statement saying his campaign had “showed the nation that extremist politicians are not invincible”.

“We defied incredible odds with the closeness of this race,” he said.

The narrow win came as a surprise to many who expected Ms Boebert to glide to re-election in the heavily Republican district. Before the 8 November elections, polling site FiveThirtyEight put her odds of victory at 97%.

Ms Boebert, who has aligned herself closely with former President Donald Trump, made waves in her first term in office due to her often confrontational and combative style.

A proud gun rights advocate, she once fought to be allowed to carry a firearm into the Capitol building. She has also questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Republican’s now control the House by a nine-seat margin, 222-213. Democrats maintained control of the Senate and have a 51-49 majority.