COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — There's a crowded field of Democratic candidates running in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.
So far, five Democratic candidates have entered the Democratic primary: Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young, State Rep. Manny Rutinel, State Rep. Shannon Bird, former teachers' union president Amie Baca Oehlert, and former Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo.
Denver7 asked University of Denver political science professor Seth Masket for his insights on the race.
“There's a pretty good chance that the political winds are going to swing back in the Democratic direction next year, just because that's what happens in midterm elections,” said Masket.
The five candidates hope to win their party's nomination to challenge incumbent Republican Congressman Gabe Evans, who defeated Caraveo in a tight race last November.
The 8th District is Colorado’s newest congressional district. It stretches from the northern part of the Denver metro to Greeley and includes a lot of rural areas. Masket said it was intentionally drawn to be competitive.
“The original voter registration numbers were something like 33% Democrat, 33% Republican, 34% unaffiliated,” said Masket. “It was designed for that purpose and to not be one that any party could count on for you from year to year.”
Democrats running for the seat believe Evans's vote in support of President Donald Trump’s tax cut and spending bill makes him especially vulnerable. Many Coloradans are afraid the bill will lead to Medicaid cuts.
“We’re not rich. We’ve never been a rich family, and we’ve lived on Medicaid for a lot of our lives,” said Desiree Maestas, who joined protesters at a press conference Evans held last week at the Colorado State Capitol, where he discussed his support for the bill.
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On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released an updated analysis of the bill, showing nearly 11 million people will become uninsured because of changes to Medicaid. Evans insists the only people who may lose coverage are those who abuse the program or who are ineligible to be part of it in the first place.
“Medicaid spending will go up every single year under the Republican plan,” Evans said.
Evan emphasized the bill’s provisions to increase border security, support law enforcement, and reduce taxes for Colorado families.
“There’s a lot of good in this bill, and unfortunately, that good is being lost because of a lot of the blatant fearmongering that is occurring around this bill,” Evans said. “It delivers the resources to protect our country, to protect our border, to get violent criminals out of our community.”
- Read the updated analysis below
A spokeswoman for Evans dismissed the growing Democratic field.
“While Democrats battle it out in their clown car primary, Congressman Gabe Evans is fighting to fix Colorado’s crime, immigration, and affordability crises these same Democrats created,” she said.
While Evans's vote is receiving a lot of attention now, will it still be a top issue when the midterm general election is held in November 2026?
“It could be an issue,” said Masket. “It’s rare that one particular issue by a member of Congress will matter that much. Usually, voters aren't really tuned in to voting behavior in Congress. But once in a while, there are very high, highly important, high salience bills that capture people's attention.”
The Cook Political Report rates the race as a “toss-up” and lists it as one of 19 U.S. House seats that either party has a good chance of winning.
Colorado's Democratic primary will be held in June 2026.
