“I can work together to make Colorado a safe, affordable place to live, work, and raise families,” said Colorado congressional candidate Gabe Evans at a debate last week, presenting himself as the bipartisan lawmaker whom he thinks voters in his competitive district are looking for.
But Evans’ record at the Colorado Capitol has earned him skyrocketing ratings from right-wing groups — and poor grades from progressive ones — suggesting that when it comes to voting, Evans isn’t the bipartisan lawmaker he’s presenting himself as.
Last year, the Colorado Liberty Republicans, a far-right group that opposes all civil rights laws, ranked Evans as the seventh most conservative member of the Legislature, with a 78% voting score. That’s significantly above the 54% score given to state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, the Republican who ran for the same congressional seat last time and lost to Democrat Yadira Caraveo.
Last year, another right-wing group, the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, also placed Evans as the seventh most conservative member of the entire Colorado Legislature.
CPAC, another well-known national group associated with fringe-right Republicans, gave Evans a “Conservative Award for Excellence,” based on their tabulation of a 92% voting record on key right-wing issues in 2023.
At the same time, progressive groups, including labor, environment, health, and Latino advocates in Colorado, have given Evans poor ratings. This year, Conservation Colorado and the Colorado AFL-CIO both gave Evans a 0% ranking — as did the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.
Evans nabbed a 71% score this year from Colorado Voters for Animals, improving his 44% score from the previous year.
Evans’ top-shelf ratings from right-wing groups align with his conservative educational background as well as his endorsements from former President Donald Trump and other MAGA extremists.
Evans seeks to represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, which is located mostly north and east of Denver. It’s not only one of the most competitive districts in Colorado but also in the entire country. Caraveo won the seat by just 1,632 votes in 2022.
