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Critical race for Front Range U.S. House seat takes strange swing through Basalt
State Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton at the Two Rivers Cafe in Basalt on Friday (David O. Williams photo).
BASALT, Colo. – In this mountain town 18 miles northwest of Aspen – far from the Front Range flatlands of Adams and Weld counties – Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans was looking for anyone to meet and greet in his quest to represent Colorado’s newest congressional district.
Currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician, Colorado’s 8th Congressional District (CD8) is so hotly contested that Evans on Friday sought the financial assistance of Pitkin County Republicans at the Two Rivers Café in Basalt, which is in the Eagle County corner of the 3rd Congressional District seat currently held by far-right Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.
When Evans found the only person on hand who’d heeded his Facebook post about the meet and greet was a freelance reporter asking if he was on a fundraising mission, Evans pointed out the importance of the CD8 race nationally.
“I mean, this is a national top-10 battleground seat. This is for control of the U.S. House. It’s the biggest swing seat in Colorado,” Evans said. “And so I’m all over talking about this because you truly do have control of the U.S. House that runs through Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.”
Pressed on whether an Aspen fundraiser in CD3 was in the works, Evans replied, “When I’m traveling around, I tell folks that you don’t even have to worry about Colorado, but if you want the U.S. House to stay in conservative hands, this is one of the seats you’ve got to pay attention to.”
A former Arvada police officer and member of the U.S. Army National Guard, Evans is now a farmer in Fort Lupton and state lawmaker for House District 48 (Adams and Weld counties).
Evans was asked if, in the wake of last week’s federal court hearing moving Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 election interference case forward, it was time to move on from the MAGA former president, who endorsed Evans this year.
“So, no, Donald Trump endorsed me, but … I’m focused on policies,” Evans replied. “I spent 22 years in the military. I’m married, I’ve got two boys. And so what I tell everybody when they say, ‘Gabe, how are you going to make decisions?’ I say, ‘Well, it’s the same way I make decisions down at the state Capitol now, which is, my faith guides me.’”
Evans, who features his Trump endorsement on his campaign website, aligns with Trump on multiple policies, including his opposition to Roe v. Wade, his support for Trump’s tax cuts, which favored wealthy corporations and individuals, his support for the mass deportation of over 10 million undocumented immigrants, and other policies. Evans has also refused to say whether the 2020 election was legitimate, saying it’s not a “yes-no question.”
Convicted of 34 felonies in New York for paying hush money to a porn star to cover up an affair ahead of the 2016 election, Trump is now facing felony charges related to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol when a pro-Trump mob sought to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, threatening to hang Vice President Mike Pence.
“I follow the Constitution, based on three oaths payable up to and including my life, to die for those beliefs if need be in the U.S. Army, Colorado Army National Guard, and the Arvada Police Department,” Evans said.
The U.S. Army requires soldiers to sign an oath to defend the Constitution against “all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Caraveo campaign manager Mary Alice Blackstock on Sunday emailed a statement responding to Evans’ interview in Basalt.
“While Gabe Evans and his party spiral into further disarray, not being able to decide a chair of the state party less than two months from an election, Congresswoman Caraveo is focused on real results,” Blackstock wrote. “Just this year, Congresswoman Caraveo has introduced 21 bills that address real issues affecting Coloradans – from lowering costs and expanding healthcare access, to tackling crime and addressing the immigration crisis.
“On the other hand, her far-right opponent is focused on reaffirming his support of Donald Trump, who, among other disgraceful actions, has created a spectacle of our U.S. troops and military at Arlington National Cemetery. It is shameful that Evans continues to align with MAGA extremism – a stance that is far too radical for Coloradans.”
Evans last week struck a deal with Libertarian Party candidate Eric Joss that required the Republican to sign a revamped pledge to reduce the size of government and fundamentally reform the U.S. Department of Education, among other things, in exchange for Joss getting out of the race.
Evans on Friday declined to say whether he ultimately prefers the Trump-aligned Project 2025 objectives of dismantling key federal agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Education.
He said he refused to sign the original version of the Libertarian Party pledge because it did call for eliminating U.S. intelligence agencies.
“I did what I think people expect their elected representatives to do, which is sit down [with Joss], talk about stuff and find the common ground,” Evans said. “And so we were able to sit down, have an adult conversation, find the common ground, find the things that we agree on, do kind of a version 2.0 of the pledge.”
At that point, an elderly couple approached Evans and his spokesman, Alan Philp, apologetic there hadn’t been more of a turnout for the meet and greet, and the interview was declared over.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared on the Colorado Times Recorder website.
David O. Williams
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