Former Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo is hoping for a rematch.
She announced Tuesday that she will run again to try and represent the 8th Congressional District, potentially going up against GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, who beat Caraveo last November by fewer than 2,500 votes.
“The 8th District deserves a representative who’s looking out for them but Gabe Evans has already shown that he will always put Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and his MAGA backers in Washington first,” Caraveo said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “I can’t stand by while Gabe Evans tries to rip away health care from tens of thousands of Coloradans, including the very families I served as a pediatrician, and make life harder for working families.”
Caraveo was the first Latina elected from Colorado when she won her seat in 2022 in the newly created 8th Congressional District. It was drawn to be the state’s only true swing district, and also has the largest Hispanic population of any of the state’s congressional districts. Caraveo’s parents immigrated from Mexico, as did Evans’ maternal grandparents.
Caraveo broke with her party on some bills dealing with energy and on a resolution to condemn former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden Administration for their border policy, after Harris became the party’s nominee for president.
She has also talked publicly about her mental health struggles during her first term, which included to two trips to the emergency room before she sought in-person help at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. Caraveo did not disclose that information until months afterward.
Caraveo won’t have an uncontested path to the Democratic nomination, though. State Rep. Manny Rutinel has already launched his campaign, and others are also reportedly eyeing a bid. The Democrats’ House campaign arm is likely to stay on the sidelines as the primary plays out, but has created a nominee fund for whoever wins the Democratic primary next June.
While Caraveo was a strong fundraiser during her first term, she’ll be starting from behind. Rutinel has already raised more than $1 million. He’s also linked up support from local leaders, such as former state Sen. Polly Baca, state Rep. Junie Joseph, state Rep. Mandy Lindsay and former Sen. Gary Hart.
Rutinel was first appointed to his seat in the legislature via a vacancy committee before winning reelection last November. The Yale-educated lawyer worked for the environmental group Earthjustice before heading the non-profit Climate Refarm, which looks for climate solutions in the food system. He also worked as an economist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in upstate New York.
As a lawmaker, many of his bills have focused on environmental justice, AI regulations and housing policy.
Rutinel was raised by a single mother who immigrated from the Dominican Republic.
“I understand what it is like to struggle to pay for groceries, housing, and healthcare. That’s why I’m running for Congress—to fight for families like mine and make sure the hardworking members of our community don’t have to struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads,” he said when he first announced his run earlier this year.
Just like last time around, Colorado’s 8th District will likely play a big role in which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives in the next Congress. Republicans won control of the House in 2024 by less than 8,000 votes, including Evans’ win.
The House Democratic campaign arm is targeting Evans’ seat, while the House Republican campaign plans to defend it.
In a statement in response to Caraveo’s entry into the race, the NRCC described Caraveo and Rutinel as radical or extreme.
“While Gabe Evans is delivering commonsense solutions, whoever emerges from the Democrats' radical rat race will be just another out-of-touch liberal ready to be rejected by Coloradans,” said NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon.
