Abortion is a dividing factor in 8th District race
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One issue in the hotly contested 8th Congressional District race draws a clear distinction between the candidates: abortion.
Why it matters: The issue is dominating the discussion in the northern Denver district after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade with each side spreading half-truths about where the candidates stand.
State of play: Republican candidate Gabe Evans, a state lawmaker, is the target of attack ads for his stance on reproductive rights and faced tough questions on the issue in a debate this week.
- In an interview, he told Axios Denver he is "pro-life" and supports the Dobbs decision, but he opposes a national abortion ban, believing the decision should be left to the states. He also backs exemptions to a ban.
What he's saying: "I support exceptions for rape. I support exceptions for incest. I support exceptions for the life of the mother and child, because you have to have that flexibility in those situations," Evans said.
Reality check: His views were not always so clear. Evans previously marked a 2022 candidate questionnaire that he only supports an exception for the life of the mother, raising concerns among Democrats about where he truly stands.
The other side: Evans is invoking the issue to attack his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, saying she supports using taxpayer funds to cover the costs of an abortion.
- Caraveo, a pediatrician, doesn't shy away from her stance. She is a co-sponsor on a federal bill to guarantee the right to abortion access and supports a ballot measure that would provide state constitutional protections and remove the restriction on using taxpayer funds for the procedure.
- Evans does not support either.
What she's saying: "That decision about whether to have a child or not needs to be between a doctor and a woman," she said in the 9News debate Tuesday.
The bottom line: Given polling showing Colorado broadly supports abortion access, Democrats see the issue as a motivator to turn out the vote and a red line that will keep independent voters from supporting the Republican candidate.