Manny Rutinel, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, won a primary race on Tuesday evening, securing his party’s bid to challenge incumbent Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo.

Competitive Race Ahead

Rutinel, a member of the state’s House of Representatives, faces one of the country’s most competitive races that could help decide the balance of power in Washington, D.C., where Republicans hold a governing trifecta across the House, Senate and Oval Office.

Democrats see seats like this district as a prime opportunity to pry away the GOP’s narrow grip on the House, where they have a slim majority. Evans, the current seat holder, won the election in 2024 by just 0.8%.

Rutinel has pitched himself as a Democrat ready to protect government programs against GOP cuts and protect minorities against government overreach. On his website, he lists protecting Social Security and Medicaid, expanding tax credits, ending Trump’s immigration crackdown, and lowering housing costs among his top priorities.

Republicans have made efforts to paint Rutinel as similar to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, highlighting a video posted to Instagram of a Mamdani campaign rally, which briefly shows someone who appears to be Rutinel standing behind Mamdani.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.