Colorado Election: Democrat Manny Rutinel Leads Gabe Evans in 8th District
Rutinel holds a 16-point lead as the race for a key congressional seat nears a decisive end.
By Vikram Harrison ·
Manny Rutinel is poised to become the new U.S. representative for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, leading Republican incumbent Gabe Evans by 16 points. Results posted at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office website showed Rutinel at 56% and Evans at 40%. Libertarian candidate Dave Wood held nearly 4% of the vote.
The Associated Press had not officially called the race at that time, but Rutinel declared victory to a crowd of about 200 people at the Salon Madrid Event Center in Commerce City. He arrived with his mother and life partner, and one supporter in the audience held up boxing gloves. Rutinel told the group that the election was decided at kitchen tables. He is 31 years old.
Rutinel’s path to Congress began two decades ago, he said, when he helped his single mother, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, complete forms for food assistance and Medicaid. Standing on stage, he asked if people like them count. He stated that people like him and his mother matter. Evans, 40, had not conceded as of 8:30 p.m. His supporters waited for further results after dinner at a venue in Brighton.
The 8th District covers parts of Larimer, Weld, and Adams counties north of Denver. The area was drawn to be competitive, and its first four years of existence featured a party split in representation. Each previous winner secured the seat by fewer than 3,000 votes. Rutinel’s lead appears to break that pattern. National analysts have favored Rutinel in recent weeks as Republican candidates struggle under President Donald Trump.
The Cook Political Report noted that the district moved six points right between 2020 and 2024, shifting from a Biden +4 seat to a Trump +2 seat. The report added that Trump is now deeply underwater in the area. Rutinel frequently linked Evans to Trump during a debate last month, mentioning both in the same sentence nearly two dozen times. Evans described Rutinel as a radical job-killing candidate and framed the choice as between crazy and common sense.
Rutinel has downplayed his past stances on animal rights, which included calling ranching and meat production a horrific, exploitative industry. Agriculture, ranching, oil, and gas are central to the district’s economy. Former Colorado Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams said Trump destroyed Republicans across the nation and that Evans is one of the victims. Wadhams argued that Rutinel is unfit to represent the district because of his views on farmers and oil workers, but that these factors do not matter because of Trump.
Campaign spending in the race has been high. Rutinel and Evans spent more than $14 million through mid-October. Outside groups added at least $19 million more since the primary, a figure that continued to climb. Rutinel eclipsed Evans in total fundraising last month, collecting nearly $9.5 million as of mid-October compared to Evans’ $7.2 million. Rutinel told supporters that there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed with what is right with America.
