Democrat Manny Rutinel won the race to represent Colorado’s Congressional District 8 by a 15-point margin Tuesday night. His victory in the expensive, high-profile race ousted Republican Gabe Evans, who had sought a second term.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Commerce City, Rutinel highlighted his working-class roots.
“The people of Colorado showed that in America, you can be the son of a single mom who survived for many months on Medicaid and food stamps, who worked for many years at McDonald's, and you can go on to become a member of Congress for the United States of America,” he said.
Rutinel earned about 56% of the vote compared to Evans’ 41%, a gap of more than 32,000 ballots. That’s the widest margin this district has seen in an election since its creation after the 2020 Census.
At a watch party in Brighton before the race was called, Evans thanked his supporters.
“Thank you for all of the support over the years,” he said. “Thank you to my team, to everyone that's helped, because we accomplished a lot in Congress.”
Congressional District 8, which includes parts of Adams, Larimer and Weld counties, has been one of the most closely watched races in the country.
The 8th District was also the most expensive race in Colorado this year, with more than $32 million in super PAC spending, according to the Colorado Sun.
The district was drawn to be competitive. It also has the highest share of Latino voters of any of the state’s congressional districts, at nearly 40%.
Evans won the seat in 2024 by a margin of less than 1%. He previously served in the state legislature.
Rutinel resigned from his position as a state representative in September to focus on the election.
Full Colorado election results are available from the secretary of state’s website.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
