Who will represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District? You’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out

The race for Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District is coming down to the wire, with only a few thousand votes separating the leading candidates.

Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer and Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo are locked in a close race for the highly competitive seat created by last year’s redistricting process.

CO-8 stretches from the northern Denver suburbs into Weld county and Greeley. Colorado’s Independent Redistricting Commission configured it to be essentially a toss-up based on recent election results. It also has more Latino residents than any other seat, making up nearly 40 percent of the population. 

As of late Tuesday night, Caraveo was leading by slightly less than two points — roughly 3,400 votes. But many outstanding ballots remain to be counted. A Libertarian candidate in the race, Richard Ward, had 3.86 percent of the preliminary total.

Kirkmeyer centered her campaign on the cost of living, which she said was the number one concern she heard from voters — that people are paying so much more each year for their basic necessities.

Caraveo is a pediatrician and the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She was also running on ways to reduce the cost of living, from housing to health care costs. Caraveo is also a strong supporter of abortion rights, while Kirkmeyer said she would back a federal abortion ban should such a bill come before her.

The seat drew plenty of national money and resources, as both parties looked across the electoral maps for seats to help them achieve control of the U.S House. 

Colorado’s 3rd congressional district race between incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert and Democrat Adam Frisch was also too close to call on election night, a more surprising development given Boeberts high profile and large war chest, and the fact that the district got more Republican with redistricting.

The state’s other congressional races were all settled by wide margins.