Colorado has one true swing seat: the 8th Congressional District. The state’s newest congressional seat is located in the northern Denver suburbs of Adams County and stretches north to the city of Greeley, in Weld County.
Currently, it’s represented by Republican Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat by 2,500 votes in 2024 from Democrat Yadira Caraveo, who herself narrowly won in 2022.
The Caraveo-Evans race was one of the most expensive House races in 2024. And Democrats and Republicans, as well as national groups, are once again expected to pour a lot of money into the contest.
This race could be one of a handful that decides which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives, and that has a lot of potential Democratic challengers lining up to take on Evans.
Here's who's running
Republicans
Gave Evans (Incumbent): The first-term representative doesn’t have any primary challengers. He sits on the powerful Energy & Commerce committee, as well as the Homeland Security committee. Evans served in the Colorado state House for one term before running for Congress. He’s a former Arvada police officer and also served in the Colorado Army National Guard and the U.S. Army. He’s supported President Donald Trump’s agenda and has rarely broken with his party thus far. Trump has already endorsed Evans’ reelection. Most of the bills he’s introduced have focused on crime and law enforcement or energy.
Democrats
Amie Baca-Oehlert: The Democrat is a former teacher and counselor who led the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, from 2014 to 2018. She currently serves as the executive director of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Launching her campaign in early June, Baca-Oehlert said she doesn't see people like her in Congress — a teacher, Latina, mom, and union member from the middle class. Baca-Oehlert has never held elected office, but has support from those who have, including Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter, former state Rep. Joe Salazar and former state Rep. Judy Solano.
Shannon Bird: Bird was first elected to the statehouse in 2018 and currently sits on the powerful Joint Budget Committee. She’s developed a reputation as a moderate at the state Capitol and is part of the Colorado Opportunity Caucus, which focuses on issues like affordability and crime. Bird got into the race over what she’s called broken promises by Republicans. “While Trump and Evans push an agenda that’s making lives harder, I’ve dedicated my career to fighting for hardworking Coloradans,” she said in a statement announcing her run. Bird also served on the Westminster City Council and worked in finance and corporate law. She launched her campaign in late May and has endorsements from dozens of state and local officials, including House Speaker Julie McCluskie, state Rep. Matt Martinez and state Sen. Kyle Mullica.
Yadira Caraveo: The former incumbent is hoping for a rematch against Evans, to whom she lost by less than 2,500 votes in 2024. Caraveo was the first Latina elected to Congress from Colorado and the first to ever hold the seat. While in Congress, Caraveo served on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, where she held a leadership role as Ranking Member of the Commodity Markets, Digital Assets and Rural Development subcommittee. Caraveo was ranked the 28th most bipartisan member of the House and broke with her party on some key votes, including on a resolution condemning Vice President Kamala Harris, after she had become the party’s nominee for president. She was the main Democratic sponsor of the TRANQ Research Act, which was signed into law, and the main Democratic leader for three other bills that passed the House. Caraveo has acknowledged struggling with her mental health, including being briefly hospitalized, while she was serving in Congress.
Evan Munsing: The first-time candidate is leaning into his political outsider background. A Marine veteran who worked in business after service, Munsing entered the race in mid-July. “I’m running for Congress because we deserve leaders who serve the nation, not themselves,” he said in a statement announcing his run. “I fought for this country, now I’m ready to fight again, because I know that the same career politicians who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it.” Munsing said he wants to fight corruption and protect individual freedoms.
Manny Rutinel: The state representative was the first candidate to jump into the race in January. He was appointed to the House by a vacancy committee in October 2023, before winning his seat in 2024. Rutinel serves on the Energy & Environment committee. The attorney worked for the climate group Earthjustice before becoming CEO of the organization Climate Refarm. He also worked as an economist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In launching his campaign, Rutinel said he’s delivered results for Colorado families at the state House. “In Congress, I’ll fight to make sure hardworking people get the support they deserve." Since entering the race, Rutinel has raised more than $1.5 million, but much of it was in the first quarter when he was the only candidate in the race. Since other Democrats have entered, his fundraising has dropped.
Dave Young: The current state Treasurer, who’s term-limited, entered the race in early June. In 2022, Young won reelection by 10 points, including winning the 8th Congressional district by four points over his Republican challenger. Young said it was Evans’ support for cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs that led him to get into the race. “I know how to do the work. I've got a track record to show I've done it, especially on Medicaid and on the kitchen table economic issues that families face,” Young told CPR News. Before running for Treasurer, a job he was first elected to in 2018, he served in the Colorado House, where he sat on the influential Joint Budget Committee. Young is from Greeley, where he was a teacher and served as the president of the Greeley Education Association for two years.
John Francis Szemler: The first-time candidate touts himself as “a former Republican activating the Moderate Majority.” On his campaign website, Szemler writes, “It's time to make room for ALL Americans who believe that prudent, coherent, and transparent government is good governance.” He works as a consultant for MCA Connect Solutions, which implements Microsoft Dynamics. Szemler filed paperwork to run in early March, but did not report any fundraising for the first quarter.
Denis Abrate: Abrate filed to run in April, but has no campaign website or campaign social media. According to his paperwork, he lives in Thornton and is also the treasurer of his campaign.
Editor's note: This article will be updated as more candidates join or drop out of the race.
