By Alejandro Bermúdez | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
The Colorado Catholic Conference’s newly released 2026 Voter Guide gives Republican Congressman Gabe Evans a clean sweep across all ten areas of Catholic Social Teaching surveyed — while his Democratic challenger, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, who was sent the same questionnaire, does not appear in the results because he declined to respond.
The Conference asked candidates about life, family, religious liberty, economic justice, health care, immigration, education, restorative justice, energy and the environment, and technology, including artificial intelligence.
In every category, Evans is marked with a check indicating that his stated position is “consistent with Catholic Social Teaching.” The Conference does not assign numerical grades or endorse candidates, but Evans is one of the candidates whose answers align with the Conference’s position in every category listed. Rutinel does not appear in the published survey table.
That omission leaves Catholic voters without a side-by-side comparison from the Conference. But Rutinel’s public record has already drawn criticism from the Colorado Catholic Conference on at least one foundational issue.
In June, the Colorado Catholic Conference objected after a pro-Rutinel super PAC used footage of Pope Leo XIV in an advertisement. The Conference stressed that neither the Church nor the Vatican endorsed Rutinel and said his support for abortion-related legislation violated Catholic teaching.
Rutinel has also faced questions unrelated to Catholic doctrine about whether voters can clearly identify his current positions.
The Colorado Sun reported in June that Rutinel had shifted from supporting a fracking ban, broad student-debt cancellation and single-payer health care in 2025 to opposing a fracking ban, rejecting across-the-board debt cancellation and favoring a public health-insurance option in 2026.
During a televised Democratic primary debate, 9NEWS anchor Kyle Clark repeatedly pressed Rutinel on whether he still supported single-payer health care and on his changed position regarding fracking.
His past views on animal agriculture have also become an issue in a district containing major ranching, dairy and meatpacking operations. Rutinel once supported giving animals the same legal rights as people, thus supporting a gradual disappearance of ranching, but now says those views have changed and that he eats meat.
The questions matter especially in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, where roughly 40 percent of residents are Latinoand where the last two congressional elections were decided by extremely narrow margins.
Voters will get at least one opportunity to see Evans and Rutinel together. Both are scheduled to participate in an October 7 debate hosted by The Surveyor at Grace Place in Berthoud, beginning at 6 p.m. The program includes a moderated debate and audience questions.
A few weeks ago I was able to meet Evans at an event sponsored by the Leadership Institute and asked him why he had not faced Rutinel to confront him on his political positions. Evans told me that Rutinel has declined such invitations, especially one made by the Spanish network Univision. Rutinel is the son of a single mom from the Dominican Republic, while Evans’ maternal grandparents were legal immigrants from Mexico.
Alejandro Bermúdez is a veteran journalist with more than four decades of experience in international news, digital media, TV, and commentary. He was the founding executive director of Catholic News Agency and has written for major English-language publications including The New York Times, the National Catholic Register, and Our Sunday Visitor. Born in Lima, Peru, and now based in Denver, Colorado, he writes on culture, politics, religion and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.