Colorado's 8th Congressional District election, 2026

← 2024
Colorado's 8th Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 18, 2026
Primary: June 30, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Colorado
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Colorado's 8th Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th Colorado elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Colorado, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is June 30, 2026. The filing deadline is March 18, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Colorado's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 30 Democratic primary)
• Colorado's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 30 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on June 30, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 30, 2026.

		Candidate
		Shannon Bird
		Daniel Hassler
	Submit photo	Larry Johnson
		Evan Munsing
		Manny Rutinel
		John Szemler
		Dave Young

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dylan Shelby (D)
• Yadira Caraveo (D)
• Amie Baca-Oehlert (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Incumbent Gabe Evans and Adam DeRito are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 30, 2026.

		Candidate
		Gabe Evans
		Adam DeRito

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Colorado

Election information in Colorado: Nov. 3, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 26, 2026
• Online: Oct. 26, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: N/A
• By mail: N/A by N/A
• Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
• By mail: Received by Nov. 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2026 to Nov. 3, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (MT)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Gabe Evans	Republican Party	$2,264,140	$419,969	$1,919,163	As of September 30, 2025
Shannon Bird	Democratic Party	$833,306	$273,278	$560,028	As of September 30, 2025
Daniel Hassler	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Larry Johnson	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Evan Munsing	Democratic Party	$260,603	$86,242	$174,361	As of September 30, 2025
Manny Rutinel	Democratic Party	$2,099,534	$1,093,514	$1,006,019	As of September 30, 2025
John Szemler	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Dave Young	Democratic Party	$164,392	$102,961	$61,431	As of September 30, 2025
Adam DeRito	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Colorado's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	12/23/2025	12/16/2025	12/9/2025	12/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Colorado in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Colorado, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Major party	10% of votes cast for the office in the last primary, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	3/18/2026	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Minor party	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	3/18/2026	Source
Colorado	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	2.5% of votes cast for the office in the last general election, or 1,500, whichever is less	N/A	7/9/2026	Source

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

• 2024
• 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Gabe Evans (R) defeated incumbent Yadira Caraveo (D), Chris Baum (Approval Voting Party), Susan Hall (Unity Party), and James Treibert (Unaffiliated) in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gabe Evans (R)	49.0	163,320
		Yadira Caraveo (D)	48.2	160,871
		Chris Baum (Approval Voting Party)	1.7	5,741
		Susan Hall (Unity Party)	1.1	3,677
		James Treibert (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	7

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 333,616
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Garey (American Constitution Party)
• Eric Joss (L)
• Larry Johnson (Unaffiliated)
• Matthew Payette (Unaffiliated)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Incumbent Yadira Caraveo (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yadira Caraveo	100.0	35,409

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,409
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Gabe Evans (R) defeated Janak Joshi (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gabe Evans	77.5	35,393
		Janak Joshi	22.5	10,294

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,687
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joseph Andujo (R)
• Scott James (R)

General election

General election for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Yadira Caraveo (D) defeated Barbara Kirkmeyer (R), Richard Ward (L), and Tim Long (Colorado Center Party) in the general election for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yadira Caraveo (D)	48.4	114,377
		Barbara Kirkmeyer (R)	47.7	112,745
	Submit photo	Richard Ward (L)	3.9	9,280
		Tim Long (Colorado Center Party) (Write-in)	0.0	99

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 236,501
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Matthew Payette (Independent)
• Steve Zorn (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Yadira Caraveo (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yadira Caraveo	100.0	38,837

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,837
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Johnny Humphrey (D)
• Joshua Rodriguez (D)
• Chaz Tedesco (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8

Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) defeated Jan Kulmann (R), Lori Saine (R), and Tyler Allcorn (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Colorado District 8 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Barbara Kirkmeyer	39.0	22,724
		Jan Kulmann	23.0	13,398
		Lori Saine	21.2	12,357
		Tyler Allcorn	16.7	9,743

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,222
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ryan Gonzalez (R)
• Jewels Gray (R)
• Joshua Rodriguez (R)

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is EVEN. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were about the same as the national average. This made Colorado's 8th the 223rd most Republican district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Colorado's 8th Congressional District

Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
48.0%	50.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Colorado, 2024

Colorado presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 14 Democratic wins
• 18 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	D	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of Colorado state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Colorado's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Colorado
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	4	6
Republican	0	4	4
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	8	10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Colorado's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Colorado, October 2025

Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jared Polis
Lieutenant Governor	Dianne Primavera
Secretary of State	Jena Griswold
Attorney General	Phil Weiser

State legislature

Colorado State Senate

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	23
	Republican Party	12
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Colorado House of Representatives

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	43
	Republican Party	22
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		65

Trifecta control

Colorado Party Control: 1992-2025
Thirteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also

Colorado	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Colorado congressional delegation Voting in Colorado Colorado elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Colorado's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Michael Bennet (D)

John Hickenlooper (D)

Representatives

District 1

Diana DeGette (D)

District 2

Joe Neguse (D)

District 3

Jeff Hurd (R)

District 4

Lauren Boebert (R)

District 5

Jeff Crank (R)

District 6

Jason Crow (D)

District 7

Brittany Pettersen (D)

District 8

Gabe Evans (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

Senate by State

Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • Colorado • Delaware • Florida (special) • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Montana • Nebraska • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • North Carolina • Ohio (special) • Oklahoma • Oregon • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Virginia • West Virginia • Wyoming

---

House by State

Alabama • Alaska • American Samoa • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

---

Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

---

Super PACs/Organizations

American Bridge 21st Century • American Crossroads • American Unity PAC • Campaign for Primary Accountability • Club for Growth Action • Congressional Leadership Fund • Cooperative of American Physicians IE Committee• Crossroads Generation • Ending Spending Action Fund • Endorse Liberty • Fair Share Action • FreedomWorks for America • Government Integrity Fund • House Majority PAC • Independence USA Fund • League of Conservation Voters • Liberty for All PAC • Majority PAC • National Association of Realtors • NEA Advocacy Fund • Now or Never PAC • Planned Parenthood Votes • Ready for Hillary • Republicans for a Prosperous America • Restore America's Voice PAC • SEIU Pea-Federal • Women Vote!

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams, Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Victoria Edwards • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox