It is time once again for our weekly roundup of articles about political extremism in Colorado. Highlights from the Colorado Times Recorder’s reporting include an article by Erik Maulbetsch on congressional candidate Gabe Evans’s political director’s history of posting Facebook content promoting antisemitism and conspiracy theories, a report by Heidi Beedle on competitive races for El Paso County commissioner, and and and a write-up by Owen Swallow on Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s warning about election-related deep-fakes. We’ve included an analysis from Denverite’s Andrew Kenney on the situation in Aurora regarding Venezuelan gangs.
Gabe Evans
Pledge Ensures That Evans Will Vote Against Any Background Check for Guns, Says Libertarian
Libertarian Party congressional candidate Eric Joss dropped out of Colorado’s most competitive congressional race last week after his Republican opponent Gabe Evans pledged to abide by a set of principles, including, for example, “I will vote to always protect and uphold the right to bear arms. I will oppose all unconstitutional gun laws.”
At Campaign Stop, Evans Declines To Say If He Wants To Shutter EPA and Dept. of Education
BASALT, Colo. – In this mountain town 18 miles northwest of Aspen – far from the Front Range flatlands of Adams and Weld counties – Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans was looking for anyone to meet and greet in his quest to represent Colorado’s newest congressional district.
As Trump Flip-Flops, CO Congressional Candidate Evans’ Anti-Choice Record Includes Calling a ‘Fundamental Right’ to Abortion ‘Ridiculous’
During an Aug. 24 appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Donald Trump’s running mate, said Trump would veto a federal abortion ban. In 2018, during his last term, Trump supported a 20-week abortion ban. During a March radio interview, Trump seemed to support a 15-week abortion ban.
Extremism Rewind
Here’s the first of a new regular feature. A weekly list of the top extremism stories from the Colorado Times Recorder and beyond. All of this week’s articles are from CTR, but in the future, we’ll include the work of other news outlets too.
DAVIS: The GOP’s Gabe Evans Problem
The national Republican Party’s path to maintaining its majority in the House of Representatives this November runs straight through Colorado’s 8th Congressional District (CD-8). It’s a new district, created by the 2021 redistricting process, and this year’s contest will mark only the second time it has appeared on local ballots. Despite currently being represented by Democrat Yadira Caraveo, CD-8 also has the unique distinction of being one of the most evenly balanced districts in the country: of 435 seats in the House, Cook Political Report ranks Colorado’s 8th as the 221st most conservative.
After Calling on His Party’s Leadership to Resign, Will Evans Disavow Their Support?
Last Friday Republican congressional candidate Gabe Evans publicly called on his own state party chair to resign, and for the party’s central committee to vote him out if he refused to step down. GOP calls for Williams to step down boiled over last month when Williams sent a vicious anti-gay missive via the party’s email account attacking anyone who supports Pride month.
Congressional Candidate Evans ‘Does Not Support’ Obamacare, Concludes Expert
When asked if he supports the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Colorado congressional candidate Gabe Evans has responded not with a yes-or-no answer but by suggesting that he wants a healthcare system “without all the ACA-imposed red tape.”
National Republican Congressional Committee Launches “Battlestation” in Thornton
Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Fort Lupton), the Republican Congressional District 8 candidate, welcomed supporters during the grand opening of his National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) “Battlestation Office” last night in Thornton.
Anti-Abortion Candidate Says He Doesn’t Understand the ‘Nuances to That Female Reproductive Care Stuff’ Because ‘I Don’t Got the Right Parts’
In an interview last week, Colorado congressional candidate Gabe Evans said he didn’t remember how he voted on a 2020 ballot initiative that would have partially banned abortion, but he did recall that he and his wife “were split on the issue.”