CO-8 Greeley, Thornton
Colorado
Not calledR +2.0closes 9:00 pm ET
Lean D
Who's running
Gabe EvansRIncumbent
Gabe Evans is a first-term congressman. He spent 22 years in the military and police work and served in the state legislature. He is a Weld County farmer and the grandson of Mexican immigrants. He won this seat by less than one point in 2024.
What they say they'll do
- First-term congressman, won by under 1 point in 2024
- Army and police veteran, former state lawmaker
- Says all his bills have had bipartisan support
Manny RutinelD
Manny Rutinel is 31 and a former state representative. He used to work as an economist for the Army Corps of Engineers. He quit the legislature in September to run full time.
What they say they'll do
- Former state representative
- Former Army Corps of Engineers economist
- Won the June primary over Shannon Bird
The tea ☕
- Rutinel resigned from the Colorado legislature on Sept. 4 to focus on the race. The district has been a nail-biter since it was drawn, with both of its elections decided by less than a point.
- A Republican-sponsored poll in September found 48 percent of voters had a bad view of Evans and only 44 percent had a good one. The same poll found nearly 18 percent of voters had never heard of Rutinel.
Sources
- https://www.kunc.org/politics/2026-09-27/8th-congressional-district-race-is-essentially-tied-poll-shows-with-warning-signs-for-both-gabe-evans-and-manny-rutinel
- https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/10/02/gabe-evans-manny-rutinel-congressional-district-8/
- https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/09/04/manny-rutinel-resigns-from-colorado-legislature-to-focus-on-congressional-race/
- https://www.270towin.com/2026-house-election/table/cook-political-report-2026-house-ratings/