GOP launches "battle station" targeting 8th congressional seat
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State. Rep. Gabe Evans (center) greets supporters at the Republican "battle station" in Thornton. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Fresh off a galvanizing national convention, Republicans in Colorado see a path toward flipping a crucial suburban Denver congressional seat.
The big picture: The National Republican Congressional Committee opened an office in Thornton with an energetic reception Thursday inside the 8th Congressional District, perhaps the most competitive in the state.
State of play: Republican Gabe Evans, a state lawmaker who won the party's nomination in June, was the man of the hour — someone supporters say is the candidate to lead the party to victory come November.
- He wants to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo to represent a largely working-class district stretching from Commerce City to Greeley.
Why it matters: A Republican victory would bolster the GOP's shot at gaining a majority in the U.S. House.
Reality check: The Cook Political Report labels the seat a Democratic-leaning toss-up, and Caraveo is leading Evans in fundraising totals.
Context: Evans is positioning himself as a conservative problem-solver, using his former career as a police officer and his U.S. Army service to help shape his policies.
- He says he can be more effective than his opponent in securing the southern border, improving public safety, and reducing the sharp increase in opioid deaths in Colorado in recent years.
Between the lines: The Thornton office will help coordinate the party's bid to turn the seat red. It's an effort that's stronger this year due to improved fieldwork, Adams County Republican Party chair Daniel Belfontaine told Axios.
- Delanie Bomar, NRCC regional press secretary, said Evans has strong name recognition, which she called a weakness for Caraveo.
By the numbers: The party is knocking on 10,000 doors a week in the district, Belfontaine said, adding Evans' candidacy will be strengthened by a Democratic Party that's "falling apart" after President Biden's withdrawal from his re-election campaign.
The intrigue: Caraveo on Thursday joined six other Democrats in voting for a Republican resolution condemning how the Biden administration is handling the southern border. All six represent competitive districts.
Yes, but: Evans isn't buying it, he told Axios.
- "She's saying whatever she thinks she needs to say to try to stay in power and pull the wool over the voters' eyes," he said.