Gabe Evans, the only Hispanic congressman from Colorado, faces the new progressive wave

"If folks want safe, affordable places, vote for me. If they want higher taxes, fees, more regulation, and more drugs, that's what my opponent stands for." That's how Congressman Gabe Evans summed up the election in Colorado's 8th District Colorado to the House of Representatives. The Republican will seek reelection against Manny Rutinel, a Democrat representing the party's latest progressive wave.

Evans, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, is Colorado's only Hispanic in Congress and previously served as a police officer and a member of the Army National Guard.

In an interview with VOZ, the congressman spoke about the impact of Republican policies on his district, the Dignity Act, and his race against Rutinel, whom he described as a radical candidate.

"Rutinel embodies the Zohran Mamdani model"

Evans will face Colorado state legislator Manny Rutinel in November. The Republican drew a sharp contrast with his opponent by asserting that the two represent very different models for the district, which encompasses part of the suburbs north of Denver. In addition, the district has a 38% Hispanic population, the highest percentage among all districts in the state.

"He's a vegan, and he wants to make everybody else a vegan. He said put an extra tax on meat, dairy, and eggs because he doesn't like animal protein. I said we should make more energy. He voted to put a $140,000,000 fee on oil and gas in Colorado and he's tried to increase the cost at the pump by putting more regulations and more fees on gasoline and diesel," the congressman noted.

"He's punishing work. He's destroying the economy. And that's why Colorado is the third most expensive state in the nation right now because his taxes and fees and regulations have destroyed our economy," he added.

He also said that Rutinel was a Democrat in the style of Zohran Mamdani and that they had even marched together in New York.

How did Republican policies impact Colorado?

Evans also highlighted the impact of the "Big Beautiful Bill", also known as the Tax Cuts for Working Families Act, both in his district and across the state of Colorado.

The congressman primarily emphasized the impact of the tax deduction for tips and overtime, as well as tax cuts for small and medium-sized businesses.

"Those are all things that I hear about from the Hispanic families in my district that are working hard trying to build their American dream. And all of those provisions and so many others make life more affordable for them, and they reward work," he said.

More benefits for farmers and ranchers

The Republican represents Colorado's 8th congressional district, one of the top ten agricultural-producing districts in the entire United States. The district is home to significant livestock production, as well as dairy and grain farming.

As Evans explained, one of the main concerns for farmers is how to keep the farm in the family.

In this regard, the Republican noted that the law raised the threshold above which the estate tax applies to $15 million per person and $30 million for married couples—a change that, he argued, makes it easier for families to transfer their farms to their children and preserve the family's legacy.

In addition, he mentioned that the legislation signed by President Trump included a 100% deduction for the cost of certain capital investments (machinery, equipment, etc.) in the same year they are purchased.

"If they have to go out and buy an $800,000 piece of equipment, we want them to be able to write that off the very first year that they bought it so that they can get all of that money back, that capital back, and turn it around to reinvest and continue to grow their dairy," he added.

The relationship between the Republican Party and the Hispanic community

The congressman also assessed the relationship between the Republican Party and the Hispanic community, which has been deteriorating according to the latest polls.

As he explained, Hispanic voters evaluate both the party and individual candidates, which is why he considered it essential to maintain a constant dialogue with the community.

Evans is even one of six Republican members of Congress who co-signed a letter to the Trump administration calling for the renewal process for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to be expedited (DACA) and to protect those who are trying to comply with the law.

He also said that immigration enforcement policies should focus on criminals: "because the the drug dealers, the cartels, the auto thieves, those are the people causing problems in our community. Those are the people that we need to remove from the community and not bother the hardworking people, who are just having trouble getting a permit renewed or a work visa renewed."

Speaking about the Hispanic community, Evans also recalled his own family's history. He explained that his grandfather, Cuauhtémoc Chávez, was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States, where he became a citizen while serving in General George Patton's Third Army during World War II. He later married his grandmother, María Calderón, and the two settled in El Paso, Texas. His mother, Rebecca Chávez, was born there before the family moved to the Denver area, where they continued to work and build their lives in the United States.

The myths of the Dignity Act

Finally, Evans referred to the Dignity Act, a bipartisan bill that seeks to create a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who entered the country before 2020 and have no criminal record. For the Republican, the legislation he co-sponsors begins by "acknowledging the problem" and is far from being an "amnesty," as some of its leading critics argue.

"If you've been here since before Joe Biden, working hard, not a criminal, and you're willing to pay your taxes, and then join this dignity program, then you get a work permit, stay out of trouble, don't commit crimes, or drive drunk, or anything like that. But then you get that work permit," the Republican explained.

"And then after seven years of that work permit, if you have a three year bar or a ten year bar because you were previously undocumented, then those three and ten year bars go away and you get basically a clean slate. So there's no citizenship, there's no voting. It's 100% a work visa program so that we can keep our farmers and ranchers in business," he added.

Evans defended the proposal primarily because of its impact on the agricultural sector. Citing figures he attributed to the Department of Agriculture, he stated that about 40% of the U.S. agricultural workforce is made up of immigrants, predominantly Hispanic. He warned that a significant reduction in that workforce would affect farmers and drive up food prices.

Full interview with Gabe Evans