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Morning Digest: A toxic GOP nominee for governor has Democrats eyeing Boebert for defeat
Democrats had always planned to target the 8th District, a swing seat that Republican Gabe Evans narrowly flipped two years ago.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Republican · 3 November 2026
Gabe Evans
U.S. Representative for Colorado's 8th congressional district (since 2025)
Gabe Evans, a Republican former law enforcement officer and U.S. Army officer who has represented Colorado's 8th congressional district since 2025, faces Democrat Manny Rutinel, a former state representative, in the 2026 election.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Gabe Evans.
Latest coverage
Live News
Recent media coverage for Gabe Evans.
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This Week in Marxism: Victor Marx is "Crazy with a K"
Now that Cajun Karate Master Victor Marx is officially the Republican nominee for Governor of Colorado, it’s time to return to a segment we began in October 2025 that we call “This Week in Marxism.”
coloradopols.com
Marx -
Colorado Rep Offers ‘More Beef, Lower Prices Act’ To Spur Herd Growth
Congressman Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) has introduced the “More Beef, Lower Prices Act,” which aims to help grow the nation’s historically small cattle herd by extending federal agriculture risk protections to ranchers and…
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- July 28, 1986
- Education
- Patrick Henry College (bachelor's degree in government)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Gabe Evans was born on July 28, 1986, and is the grandson of a Mexican immigrant who served in World War II. He graduated cum laude from Patrick Henry College with a bachelor's degree in government. Evans served in the Virginia Army National Guard from 2007 to 2009, and in 2009 he earned a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army while joining the Colorado National Guard, in which he served until 2019.
Career
In the Army, Gabe Evans learned to fly UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, served in Operation Enduring Freedom from 2012 to 2013 and reached the rank of captain; in the Colorado Guard he helped fight wildfires, carried out search and rescue missions and served as a company commander in the 2-135th Aviation Battalion.
In 2011 he joined the Arvada Police Department, reaching the rank of lieutenant before retiring in January 2022 to run for office. Evans won a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2022 with 63.31% of the vote and focused his tenure on criminal justice issues.
Evans announced his candidacy for Colorado's 8th congressional district on September 6, 2023. He defeated former state Representative Janak Joshi in the Republican primary and then defeated Democratic incumbent Yadira Caraveo in November 2024 by a margin of 0.73%.
In the House he serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Homeland Security and belongs to the Problem Solvers Caucus and the Republican Governance Group.
He proposed the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require the companies behind AI data centers to pay their own additional electricity costs and which passed the House by a 417 to 3 margin in September 2026. Evans and his wife, Anne, have two sons and live on their ranch in Fort Lupton.
2026 race
Gabe Evans is seeking reelection in Colorado's 8th congressional district, which includes the northern Front Range cities and surrounding Denver communities, including Thornton, Brighton, Johnstown and Greeley.
He flipped the district in 2024 with 49.0% of the vote and received 100.0% of the vote in the 2026 Republican primary. His Democratic opponent, Manny Rutinel, a former state representative from the 32nd district, won the Democratic primary with 62.8% against former state representative Shannon Bird.
The general election takes place on November 3, 2026.