U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) continues to promote himself as a rancher in his rural district, despite once admitting that he raises a “few” cows as a hobby.
A new campaign ad shows Evans hauling hay, dropping a bale into a trough, and speaking earnestly against a backdrop of cows jostling in a pen.
“They say my boots don’t fit my suit,” says Evans in the ad. “They are probably right. But I’ve worn these for 15 years, ranching here on my place in Weld, on patrol in Adams, in a Black Hawk over Colorado wildfires. … The last thing Washington needs is another suit.”
Evans has presented himself as a “rancher” and “beef producer” throughout his political career, trying to connect with voters in his rural district north of Denver. His midterm race against Democrat Manny Rutinel will help decide which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives next year. In 2024, Evans won the seat by about 2,500 votes over Democrat Yadira Caraveo.
Evans’ bovine promotion began during his first legislative race in 2022, during which he posted photos of himself and a Long Horn cow on his campaign website.
Supporters of Evans’ 2022 opponent, Terry DeGroot, who manages his family’s dairy farm, Colorado Cow, reportedly mocked Evans for owning “pet cows” rather than running a serious ranch or farm like DeGroot’s.
But that didn’t stop Evans from continuing to promote himself as a “rancher” and “beef producer.”
During his 2024 campaign for Congress and after he was elected, Evans posted a series of videos and photos on social media and his media platforms, including his congressional website, depicting him gazing at cows, romping in the dirt with his family and some cows, standing with cows visible over his shoulder, leaning on the gate of a cow pen, and more.
Evans “All Hat and No Cattle”
Former U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-CO), who had about 500 head of cattle when he was elected to Congress in 2004, told the Colorado Times Recorder last year that Evans is “all hat and no cattle.”
Evans mostly doesn’t respond to ranching-related questions, but he stated through a spokeswoman last year that the United States Department of Agriculture labels people who earn over $1,000 from agricultural products as ranchers or farmers. So he can call himself a rancher too, she said.
But over the years, he’s earned little or no money from his bovine activities. His latest financial disclosure states that he earned $345 from “livestock and beef sales” last year, putting him below the $1,000 threshold.
Evans has also said the criticism he faces for promoting himself in politics as a rancher is a distraction from his real work in Congress.
“While the Left wastes time and taxpayer dollars questioning the validity of the Evans’ family farm, Congressman Gabe Evans is fighting serious battles to make Colorado a better place to live, work, and raise a family,” Evans’ spokeswoman said last year via email.
When he entered Congress last year, Evans gave his three cows to a friend for caretaking. It appears that the cows are back on Evans’ Weld County property, allowing Evans to continue to claim an agricultural tax break.
