By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
Whether Democrats will retain a majority or the seats will be a split for the Colorado caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives appears as if it will come down to the one race most political observers always anticipated.
Republican Gabe Evans, a former police officer and veteran, is trailing Democrat Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician, by 3,817 votes in a virtual replay of the 8th District U.S. House race from 2022, when it took some time before Caraveo was declared the winner over Barb Kirkmeyer.
Caraveo leads Evans by 1.59%. The state requirement to trigger a recount is a difference of 0.5% or less.
As was the case in 2022, the competitive district sets up as Weld County versus Adams County. In Weld County, Evans earned 57.6% of the vote and a 13,440 vote advantage. In Adams County, Caraveo earned 54.5% support and a 17,976 vote margin. Narrowing the deficit, Evans carried 52.4% of the Larimer County vote, a difference of 719 votes. Military and absentee votes are not yet included in the totals. All results are unofficial until certified. Results for this report were with 72% of ballots reported statewide.
If Evans wins the race, Republicans will have a net gain in Colorado and hold a split of seats in the U.S. House for Colorado. If Caraveo wins, Democrats will retain a 5-3 edge. The race was a top national target for Republicans.
It originally appeared two U.S. House races in the state could be a photo finish, but Jeff Hurd has pulled away from Adam Frisch in the 3rd District. Hurd earned 50.0% of the 365,033 votes in the race, with Frisch taking 46.8%. It is a margin of 11,665 votes. Playing spoiler in the race was Libertarian Party Executive Director James Wiley, who gathered 2.5% of the vote for a 9,137 total.
Republican Lauren Boebert secured victory in the 4th District, collecting 53.0% of 392,639 votes in the closest 4th District election since Republican Cory Gardner won the House seat with 52.5% support in a victory over Betsy Markey in 2010. Markey was the last Democrat to hold the seat. Boebert’s Democrat opponent Trisha Calvarese gathered 43.0% of the vote. Libertarian Party Chairwoman Hannah Goodman also spoiled what could have been a wider margin by earning 2.4% support.
Republican Jeff Crank protected the 5th District for his party by gathering 54.8% of 232,831 votes in the El Paso County district.
Democrats also protected seats they traditionally hold.
In the 1st District, Diana DeGette was an early winner on election night with 78.2% of the vote over Valdamar Archuleta. The district includes Arapahoe, Denver and Jefferson Counties.
One of the Democratic Party’s top-ranking leaders cruised to victory after very early returns found him trailing, as Joe Neguse earned 69.1% of votes in the 2nd District over Marshall Dawson.
There were two other districts Republicans targeted for potential victory. In the 6th District, Democrat Jason Crow earned 59.2% of the vote against former regional ICE director John Fabbricatore. The district includes five Front Range counties. In the 7th District, Democrat Brittany Pettersen earned re-election with 55.7% of the vote against Republican Sergei Matveyuk in a district which spans from Custer to Weld County.