I’ve been reporting on how Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans promotes himself as a “rancher” in his rural district — despite criticism that he’s “all hat, no cattle,” since he owns just three cows, which he’s put in the care of a neighbor, reducing the number of Longhorns he’s actually raising to zero.
He’s not letting up.
Last month, Evans attended an event hosted by Mead Mayor Colleen Whitlow and apparently displayed his personalized “Challenge Coin,” which on one side depicts counties (Weld, Adams, Larimer) in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, which is spelled along the top and bottom edges.
Written on the flip side of Evans’ coin is “Congressman Gabe Evans” with an image of the U.S. Capitol in front of a Blue Lives Matter stripe. Above the Capitol is a Black Hawk helicopter. On the left is a cross, and peeking around the right side is … a Longhorn cow.
The presence of a single cow could be a sign that Evans has reduced his herd from three to one, but it’s not known for sure because his office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
More likely, he’s using the coin as another platform to repeat the details about his life that he’s pushed throughout his political career: He’s a military veteran (symbolized by the helicopter), a Christian (symbolized by the cross), and a former police officer (represented by the Blue Lives Matter banner).
He also promotes himself as a “rancher” (symbolized by the cow on the coin).
It’s the rancher part of his biography that elicited criticism — because, as he’s said, he raises “two or three cows a year” as a hobby.
The personalized coin is Evans’ latest in a string of bovine promotions that he’s issued throughout his political career.
These include campaign photos of him and his kid petting one of his cows, website images of himself in a cowboy hat gazing at his Longhorns, barbs on X describing himself “as a rancher” and “beef producer” fighting for “American prosperity,” Facebook posts about his cows escaping, and more.
You have to think this cow talk helped Evans win his seat (by about 2,500 votes), given that he represents the 21st highest cattle-producing congressional district in the country.
Evans isn’t the only conservative in Washington who’s apparently showing off Challenge Coins.
FBI Director Kash Patel is handing out his Challenge Coin, according to MSNBC correspondent Ken Delanian — and while Evans’ coin is deceptive, Patel’s scores high for weirdness and fear. It depicts a Punisher-style skull, which has been adopted by law enforcement and anti-government militias, with “KH” on the crown and handguns forming the mouth and teeth. The back, adorned with the FBI logo and a Tommy gun, states, “Presented by the Director of the FBI — Kash Patel — .”
Politico found in 2021 that at least 10 congresspeople, Democrats and Republicans, had these types of personal coins, which are traditionally minted by a military unit but increasingly by firefighters, police officers, or other private groups. They are referred to as “Challenge Coins,” because members of the group who see a fellow member — at work, in a bar, or anywhere — can ask the member to show their coin — this is referred to as a “coin check.” If they can’t produce it, they typically incur a penalty, like buying the challenger a beer. The coins often tell a personal story and, typically, the coins are purchased with personal funds.
Evans’ office did not respond to a request for information on who paid for his cow-bearing coins, but let’s hope it wasn’t you, me, or any other taxpayer, especially vegetarians or Democrats.
