Manny Rutinel defeats Shannon Bird in closely watched 8th District race
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Manny Rutinel. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Manny Rutinel won the Democratic nomination Tuesday in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, setting up a marquee matchup in November against Republican incumbent Gabe Evans for one of the nation's most competitive House seats.
Why it matters: The race in Denver's northern suburbs could help decide control of the U.S. House. Democrats view Colorado's 8th District as one of their best pickup opportunities after Republican Gabe Evans unseated Democrat Yadira Caraveo by less than a percentage point in 2024.
Driving the news: Rutinel, a Commerce City state lawmaker, led in early returns, prompting Bird to concede just 30 minutes after polls closed.
State of play: Rutinel ran as the more progressive candidate in the primary, arguing he would be a stronger opponent to Evans on immigration and working-class economic issues.
- Bird, a former Westminster lawmaker, pitched herself as a pragmatic Democrat better positioned to win over moderates and unaffiliated voters in the swing district.
What they're saying: "Unlike Gabe Evans, Manny will fight to protect our freedoms and lower costs, and I urge everyone to unite behind his campaign so we can flip the House and stop this reckless administration from continuing to wreak havoc on our communities," Bird said in a statement.
The big picture: The 8th District stretches across parts of Adams, Larimer and Weld counties, including communities from Commerce City to Greeley and rural Weld County. It's Colorado's most Latino congressional district and one of the country's top toss-up races.
Between the lines: The primary became one of Colorado's most expensive and unusual Democratic fights this cycle.
- Outside groups tied to tech industry leaders spent $5.5 million on TV ads supporting Rutinel and attacking Bird.
- Employees from Anthropic, Google, Meta and OpenAI contributed a combined $265,000 directly to Rutinel's campaign.
- Groups focused on electing women and supporting reproductive rights spent about $1.7 million backing Bird.