Candidates in crucial Colorado congressional district trade barbs over voting records

The two candidates running to represent Colorado’s most competitive congressional district met Wednesday for their only debate ahead of the November election, sparring over federal immigration policy, affordability and the economy, and healthcare. 

U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, a Fort Lupton Republican finishing his first term in Congress, and Manny Rutinel, a Commerce City Democrat and former state legislator, faced off at a debate in Berthoud organized by the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor and the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. 

Evans called Rutinel “the most radical person to ever be nominated to run for Congress in the state of Colorado” while Rutinel said Evans “only responds to one man, and that is Donald Trump.”

Both candidates throughout their campaigns have talked about affordability as a key priority for constituents of the 8th District, but they disagree on the best way to address it: Evans says his votes in Congress have improved affordability, while Rutinel says cost of living has skyrocketed because of those votes.

Evans defended his votes in favor of legislation backed by Trump that will result in cuts for public assistance programs many 8th District constituents rely on. He said those bills cut “fraud, waste and abuse” and further fund healthcare. He voted in favor of a Republican plan to reduce Medicaid spending by an estimated $625 billion over the next 10 years. The plan became law with Trump’s signature on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or H.R. 1., the Republican tax cut and spending bill.

Evans voted in support of H.R. 1., which made changes to eligibility requirements in programs like Medicaid and the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program. Dollars diverted from Medicaid will go toward tax cuts prioritized by Trump, along with new spending on immigration control and defense projects. Evans touted his support of measures in Congress that cut taxes on tips, overtime and small businesses.

Rutinel said he wants to restore Affordable Care Act tax credits and expand Medicaid so health insurance will be more affordable. He also blamed the war in Iran and Trump’s tariffs for increasing the cost of living. Evans, who voted against a war powers resolution to direct Trump to remove U.S. troops from Iran, did not mention the conflict in Iran. He flagged past comments Rutinel has made against the oil and gas industry as well as anti-factory farming stances. 

Immigration

The two Latino candidates will face off in November to determine which party will represent the district that has the largest Latino population in Colorado. Both candidates said they want secure borders and immigration reform. 

Evans said violent crime in the country is low because the border is secure and because “we are going after the bad guys” under Trump, blaming the Biden administration for high crime rates. He claimed Rutinel supports open borders and defunding the police, but Rutinel said law enforcement should have the resources it needs to “prevent trafficking of drugs and people through our border.”

The economy would be “in a much better spot” if Trump and Evans focused on the economy instead of targeting immigrants, Rutinel said.  

“Right now, Donald Trump and Gabe Evans are trying to find new ways to torment our immigrant neighbors,” Rutinel said. “They’re using masked ICE agents without judicial warrants.  They are raiding schools and hospitals to rip families apart.”

The Trump administration has increased immigration raids across U.S. cities since he returned to office, and research has found that a minority of those arrested by ICE have had criminal records.  

Since initiating a run for Congress, Rutinel has backtracked on past positions that leaned progressive. Evans called him “a flip flopper” and said Rutinel voted in the Colorado Legislature to increase taxes, legalize hard drugs and cut jobs. Rutinel voted in favor of a measure that would have allowed cities to open overdose prevention centers.

“We don’t have to ask how he would legislate in Washington, D.C., we can see it now,” Evans said. “We’re living it now in Colorado as an extreme outlier when compared to the rest of the country.”

Rutinel previously worked for public interest environmental law group Earthjustice, which Evans claimed argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Colorado local governments to sue fossil fuel companies over climate change. Earthjustice filed a brief in support of the two local governments that want to sue, but it was not directly involved in arguments before the court this week. 

Evans said his loyalty is to his district, not Trump. He emphasized his support for overriding Trump’s veto of a bill that would have supported a water pipeline project in Southern Colorado and his vote to block a Trump executive order related to federal worker bargaining rights.

The 8th District, which includes the northern Denver suburbs and extends into parts of southern Weld and Larimer counties, is one of a handful of toss-ups in the country. The race could help decide which party has control of the House. It is also the state’s newest congressional district, drawn by an independent redistricting commission after the 2020 census.  

Evans was elected to represent the 8th District in 2024 when he defeated then-U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo by fewer than 2,500 votes — less than 1 percentage point. Evans has aligned himself closely with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump and has ranked as one of the country’s most vulnerable Republican House incumbents.

The race to represent the 8th District has drawn large amounts of campaign funding in support of both Evans and Rutinel. CPR reported Wednesday that the race has seen about $11 million in outside spending since Rutinel won the Democrat primary election at the end of June.

Election Day is Nov. 3. County clerks in Colorado began to mail ballots to registered voters this week.