ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado’s 8th Congressional District is the state’s newest district and has the potential to be a swing seat every two years.
The district that covers Adams and Weld Counties, with a sliver of Larimer County is close in affiliated voters. Unaffiliated voters make up the majority in the district.
- Unaffiliated: 220,299 (42%)
- Democrat: 135,766 (26%)
- Republican: 117,977 (23%)
In 2022, Democratic Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo won the first election for that district. She defeated Republican opponent Barbara Kirkmeyer by 1,632 votes.
Caraveo is running for reelection against Republican State Rep. Gabe Evans.
Both Caraveo and Evans are running political ads that focus on immigration.
Evans’ ad is paid for in part by his campaign and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which seeks to elect Republicans to Congress.
Gabe Evans/NRCC Ad
AD CLAIM: Two Law enforcement officers: “Our border is a mess. And we’re dealing with the consequences. Drugs and crime are flowing into our community.” Gabe Evans: “And Yadira Caraveo is responsible for all of it.”
VERDICT: BS
That’s putting it kindly.
Caraveo, with her one vote out of 435, is not solely responsible for any action.
The ad conflates a federal issue (border crossings) with state statistics (Colorado fentanyl deaths) and then tries to blame it all on Caraveo.
You do not need a Truth Test to tell you that the statement, “Caraveo is responsible for all of it,” is just false.
AD CLAIM: Two Law enforcement officers: “We’re stretched thin, and police budgets are getting slashed.”
What that has to do with Caraveo is not clear from the ad. Law enforcement budgets for police departments and sheriff’s offices have nothing to do with Congress. They are dictated by decisions made by cities and counties.
Yadira Caraveo Ad
The ad paid for by Caraveo’s campaign features Democratic Adams County Sheriff Gene Claps, who makes statements in support of Caraveo.
AD CLAIM: Sheriff: “Yadira Caraveo knows how broken immigration is, just like we do. It’s why she worked with Republicans to fund over 20,000 border patrol agents and crack down on cartels.”
VERDICT: It is true she voted with 100 Republicans on a bill that funded Homeland Security in 2024. That bill also funded the Department of Defense and the State Department.
The bill had more Democratic yes votes (185) than Republican (101), including all Colorado House Democrats voting yes.
The bill included funding for 2,000 additional border patrol agents, which was supposed to get staffing up to 22,000 total agents.
Colorado Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn also voted in favor of the bill, while then-Congressman Ken Buck and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert voted against it.
AD CLAIM: Sheriff: “She even broke with her own party to back tougher fentanyl penalties.”
VERDICT: Yes and no.
There are no citations on screen to guide the viewer to know what Claps is referencing with this line.
In Congress in 2023, Caraveo did vote for the HALT Fentanyl Act, which would classify fentanyl as a Schedule I substance, similar to heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, which would come with mandatory minimum prison sentences.
It passed the House with 74 Democrats voting in favor. Caraveo was the only one from Colorado who supported the bill. Of the 216 Republicans in the House that day, 215 voted yes. This fentanyl bill has not moved one step in the Senate since passing the House last year.
It is also important to note that while Caraveo was a state representative in 2019, she was among the 60-plus state lawmakers who voted in favor of HB19-1263 which lowered the penalty to a misdemeanor for possession of four or fewer grams of fentanyl.
Then, in 2022, following pushback from the community and law enforcement, Caraveo joined Democratic lawmakers in reversing the decision and making it a felony again to possess low amounts of fentanyl a felony again.