DENVER — One of the most competitive Congressional districts in the country in the upcoming midterm election lies in Colorado, where there have only been two election cycles in the district's existence.
The 8th Congressional District was drawn in 2021 and stretches from Adams County all the way to Weld County. It spans across urban and rural parts of the state, encompassing a variety of political ideologies.
The seat is currently held by Republican Congressman Gabe Evans, who won the race against his then-incumbent Democratic challenger, Yadira Caraveo, in 2024.
Evans is the only Republican running in the primary election, with two Democratic candidates hoping they will be selected by voters to challenge him on the November general election ballot.
State Rep. Manny Rutinel and former state lawmaker Shannon Bird are battling for that spot against Evans.
Another Democratic candidate, Evan Munsing, dropped out of the race in May. His name will still appear on the June 30 primary ballot.
Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on June 30.
Gabe Evans
Born and raised in Colorado, Republican Congressman Gabe Evans is a veteran with a law enforcement background. During his military career, Evans was deployed to the Middle East while in the U.S. Army and was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot at Buckley Space Force Base.
He went on to serve as a police officer in Arvada for more than a decade, and told Denver7 his experience with deescalating tense situations has uniquely prepared him for Congress.
“If you take that same troubleshooting mindset from both the military and law enforcement to Congress — that's what I did for 22 years — and that's what I try to do for the people of my district in Congress," Evans said.
Evans spent two years working as a state representative in the Colorado State Capitol as well.
"I reached my limit as a police officer. I could only see so many bad things that I couldn't actually address, because I had been handcuffed by bad policy at the state level," Evans said, explaining his journey into politics. "The ruling Democrats in Colorado made cops the bad guys, they made bad guys the good guys.”
Almost 40% of the 8th Congressional District is Hispanic or Latino.
"I'm the only Hispanic in Colorado's delegation right now," Evans said, before telling the story of his grandfather immigrating from Mexico to America and earning his citizenship through Army service.
Denver7 asked Evans about a Colorado Newsline investigation from last year, which asserted that Evans has "misrepresented" his grandfather's history.
"Part of me gets a little bit frustrated when this keeps coming up. That folks, you know, some folks that want to be detractors of mine are going to go back 90 years to try to go criticize the history of a World War II veteran, who has two Purple Hearts," Evans said. "I'm going to continue telling that story because I'm proud of it. And if detractors want to detract about something that happened 90 years ago, well, you know what? I think that's why we saw a lot of the Hispanic population shift in the 2024 election.”
Evans elaborated on his stance when it comes to immigration.
"We've got to secure the border. We've got to get the bad guys — the drug dealers, the cartels, the car thieves — we've got to get those people out of our communities, but we also have to have a pathway for those folks that are trying to do things the right way, and that's why I helped introduce the largest immigration reform package in this Congress," Evans said. "It's called the Dignity Act, and it addresses, again, it's over 200 pages long, it addresses, how do we work with those folks who are obeying the law, other than perhaps their immigration status?"
Denver7 also asked Evans about his vote to advance the One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1) and how that will impact Medicaid recipients. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, H.R. 1 takes Medicaid coverage away from millions of people who are "not meeting rigid work requirements."
“All the Republicans said is, 'We want that money to get to the people that actually need it'... If you are an able-bodied working-aged adult with no young kids, you have to work, volunteer, or go to school part time, 20 hours a week, 80 hours a month, in order to qualify for Medicaid," Evans said. “We are working to put more money into it, to take care of the truly vulnerable folks, but to make sure the money gets where it belongs instead of disappearing into, again, one of the worst administered programs in the nation.”
Evans continued to tout funding for road repairs and the City of Greeley’s Gold Hill Pipeline Project as reasons why voters should keep him in Congress.
At the end of the interview, all of the candidates were asked for a fun fact about themselves.
"I am a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, so there's a joke. You walk into a bar, somewhere in the bar is a military pilot. How do you identify them? And the answer is, you know. They'll tell you within about five seconds, because it's pretty cool," Evans said with a laugh. "I am also a die-hard Denver Broncos fan. So, if you talk about the helicopter, there is only one helicopter, even for me as a helicopter pilot, and that's John Elway on third and seven to go get a first down in the first Super Bowl that the Denver Broncos won.”
Watch the full interview:
Manny Rutinel
One of the candidates who wants to square off against Evans this November is State Rep. Manny Rutinel, D — District 32. Rutinel has served in the state legislature since 2023.
"[I'm] really proud of the work that we've been able to do to fight back against the Trump administration and fight for working people," Rutinel said.
Rutinel told Denver7 he grew up in several places as the son of a single mother who immigrated to America.
"I remember being 10-years-old the first time I was filling out Medicaid forms and food stamp forms, and so, for me, this is a really personal fight against the Trump administration," Rutinel said.
According to Rutinel, he came to Colorado at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to work on the campaign for U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper. He said that is when he fell in love with the state.
He cited both personal and professional experience as preparation for a role in Congress.
“In the 31 years that I've been on this planet, I've been able to work at McDonald's, I've mowed lawns, I've painted walls, I sold my blood at a plasma center over 100 times to the point where I've got a scar on my arm, all to be able to make ends meet. And it was because of programs like Medicaid and food stamps that I was able to make my way into college, where I spent my first semester sleeping on my friends' floors and couches," Rutinel said. "Then I became an economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where I swore an oath to defend our Constitution against enemies, both foreign and domestic. And then I became an attorney to take on large corporations that were trying to profit by hurting working people.”
Rutinel laid out what his priorities would be in Congress.
"I will prioritize bringing back Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. I will put an end to these corrupt tariff policies that Donald Trump is using to be able to enrich himself and his family in raising prices across the board. I'll put an end to this forever war in Iran that is raising gas prices and raising prices across the board and putting American lives at risk," Rutinel said. "This is a district that was drawn in part for Latino working-class representation, and it's also one of the three or four seats that we need to win to be able to take back the House and put a stop to the horrors of the Trump administration.”
Denver7 asked Rutinel how he would describe his Democratic ideology, on a scale from more moderate to progressive.
"I would explain to voters that I'm less worried about labels. I don't think they're as interested in labels either," Rutinel replied. "They're looking for people who will bring results to their communities."
On the campaign trail, Rutinel has referenced Senate Bill 25-276 a handful of times. The bill, which was signed into law last May, modified state immigration laws that apply to political subdivisions while changing engagement with federal immigration authorities.
"I was proud to co-sponsor that law," Rutinel said. "Unfortunately, Shannon Bird, my primary opponent, was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to allow ICE to collaborate with police and allow ICE to raid our schools and hospital."
Denver7 gave Bird the chance to respond to that claim. Bird said Rutinel is "mischaracterizing" her vote history on SB25-276, saying she voted against the legislation when it was in committee to "prevent frontline workers from being fined $50,000 personally if their boss broke the law." Bird was excused from the vote when the bill was on the House floor. She said her absence was due to a family emergency but that she "supported the overall goals of the bill."
Still, Rutinel said all Democrats are not the same.
“I'm looking to get results and fight for working people. That's what I've always done. That's what I'll do when I'm in Congress," Rutinel said.
While Rutinel said he is spending the majority of his time on the campaign trail, his fun fact takes him out of the political world when his schedule allows.
"Whenever I have a moment to breathe, I like to explore so much of what Colorado has to offer," Rutinel said. "I also like to do a little bit of salsa, bachata, and merengue with my partner, who is incredible at it, and if we have a little extra time, or maybe on another night, I do like a good karaoke night with friends.”
Watch the full interview:
Shannon Bird
Former State Rep. Shannon Bird believes she is the right choice to take on Evans in the general election.
"I'm a pragmatic Democrat who believes in delivering," Bird said. "I want voters to know that I am effective, I get things done, and that's what sets me apart from everybody in this race.”
Originally from Nevada, Bird told Denver7 she was raised by her single mother and grandmother before moving to Colorado for college, where she has lived her entire adult life. Bird is an attorney who began volunteering within the Adams 12 Five Star School District and went on to serve on the Westminster City Council. Then, she was elected to the state legislature, where she spent seven years.
"When I had the opportunity to see the incredible work that our teachers were doing, and see that here in our state we didn't pay our teachers particularly well, and we had school school buildings in disrepair, I knew that we needed action," Bird said. “As a member of the state legislature, I'm most proud of writing the budget and carrying the legislation that finally fully funded Colorado's public schools for the first time in 15 years. That is what got me into public service."
Bird said she does the hard, necessary work — and does not just "talk about it." She said that is one reason she is running in the 8th Congressional District.
"This is my home. It's where I've lived for about 25 years. My husband and I, we raised our kids in this district. We've paid property taxes here. I was a long time volunteer in my community, long before I ever thought of running for public office," Bird said. “Honestly, it is that service to my community as a volunteer that made me fall in love with serving my community."
If Bird is chosen to be the Democrat that lands on the November ballot, she has a handful of priorities to tackle in Congress.
"One of the first pieces of legislation I want to get to work on is restoring the affordable health insurance, affordability tax credits. Those are tax credits that helped people when they're purchasing their health insurance on the exchange, to keep those affordable, and make sure families could afford to purchase their health insurance," Bird said. "As someone who has been uninsured, I know what that means to have fear that you could be one big illness away from suffering a bankruptcy or other financial catastrophe, and that's not right.”
She said that in addition to affordability concerns, she has heard voters in the 8th Congressional District voice concerns over federal immigration enforcement.
"What needs to happen immediately is a complete overhaul of ICE," Bird said. "What we are seeing throughout America — and right here in Colorado, including in Colorado's 8th District — masked, under-trained ICE agents terrorizing communities. It is dangerous and un-American."
Bird said there ought to be federal laws banning immigration enforcement agents from wearing masks and mandating body-worn cameras with footage that is available to the public.
"ICE agents, when they break the law, they must be held accountable. Their enforcement priorities need to move back to going after criminals, not grandmas and preschoolers," Bird said. “On a national level, ICE enforcement activity needs to be banned and kept out of our public schools, our hospitals, churches, courthouses, and all places of worship. That has to happen."
A fun fact about Bird comes from her days volunteering at an animal shelter in Denver.
"I love animals. I always have," Bird said. “After I graduated from law school, I volunteered a bunch for what was then known as the Denver Dumb Friends League, and one of my volunteer opportunities was to go and help set up Christmas pictures with pets. Well, the day that I was there, I was only supposed to be Santa's helper, but Santa didn't show up. So, they asked me to be Santa Claus and play the role of Santa for people to have their pets come and take their picture with me. I probably wasn't the best Santa, but it was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of really interesting animals that day.”
Watch the full interview:
