The two candidates fighting for Colorado’s coveted 8th Congressional District seat jabbed at each other at a Sept. 30 forum over illegal immigration, the high cost of living in the district and gun control.
Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo, who is seeking her second term in Congress, said Republicans like to “spread lies and are saying I’m not interested in securing our southern borders.” Caraveo said the nation’s immigration policies need to be applied fairly and to make sure people seeking asylum are coming to the United States for a legitimate reason.
Caraveo said President Joe Biden should have used his executive powers sooner to cut off the flow of asylum seekers. She also said as a freshman in Congress she has sponsored legislation to reduce the cost of renting and introduced tax credits for affordable housing.
Republican opponent state Rep. Gabe Evans – a former Arvada police officer – said the country’s wide-open borders are letting in gang leaders along with deadly Fentanyl. Colorado is also the third most dangerous state in the nation and is saddled with one of the country’s highest costs of living.
Evans, an Army combat veteran, said the immigration system allows those who are trying to get into the country legally are stalled for years because of “bureaucratic jail.” Asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Mexico indefinitely until they are allowed into the United States.
Caraveo and Evans both said they would not support a national abortion ban, with Evans saying it’s up to the states to decide abortion policy. Caraveo, a pediatrician, said abortion decisions are a private medical matter.
“I think women and their doctors should be making decisions about abortion, end of story,” Caraveo said.
Caraveo said she supported capping insulin prices at $35 a month and that patients and doctors should be in the middle of decisions about insurance. Evans said red tape have driven insurance companies out of Colorado.
“Because of that red tape … millions of dollars have been siphoned away from Medicaid,” he said.
The race between Caraveo and Evans is considered key in deciding who will control Congress in 2025, and pundits say the contest will attract as much as $13 million in contributions before votes are cast Nov. 5, according to the trade publication Colorado Politics in a Sept. 11 story.
It has also been marked by attack ads, with Caraveo being portrayed as being too lenient on border policies. An ad targeting Caraveo links the Democrat’s 2023 vote against HR 2 to strained hospitals, overwhelmed law enforcement, crowded schools and the fentanyl crisis, Colorado Politics states.
The legislation passed narrowly along party lines in the House, with two Republicans joining every Democrat in opposition, and fizzled in the Senate, according to Colorado Politics.
The publication said Caraveo’s campaign pointed to a bipartisan package of immigration bills the Democrat sponsored and co-sponsored this spring.
A Democratic group has introduced an ad blasting Evans for supporting an abortion ban, featuring a local OB-GYN who called the Republican “too extreme for Colorado,” Colorado Politics states.
The virtual forum was sponsored by KUNC, Colorado Community Media, the Leagues of Women Voters of Colorado, Adams, Larimer and Greeley-Weld Counties, and El Semanario.
The candidates were allowed two-minute opening statements followed by questions developed by League members and Colorado Community Media. Caraveo and Evans were given one minute each to respond. They were also given a two-minute closing statement.
KUNC legislative reporter Lucas Brady Woods acted as moderator.
The candidates also disagreed on gun laws, with Caraveo saying she co-sponsored an assault weapons ban. “There is no reason to have a gun made for warfare in the hands of Coloradans,” Caraveo said.
Evans said adding more gun laws have not made anyone safer. “Gun violence has more than doubled,” Evans said, who supports tougher penalties for people who commit gun crimes.
Both said they support Israel, but Caraveo pointed out that a staffer that worked for Evans made antisemitic remarks. Evans said that staff member was fired within 24 hours of making the remarks.