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Gabe Evans (i) Republican
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What are your top three priorities, if elected?
My top priorities are lowering costs, rebuilding American infrastructure, and keeping our communities safe.
Under Manny Rutinel and Denver Democrats’ leadership, Colorado ranks the second most expensive in the nation. On the contrary, I’ve voted for the largest tax cut in American history, and cut taxes on tips, overtime, and social security.
I want to make the Colorado I grew up in safe and affordable again— ensuring businesses and hardworking Colorado families can grow strong roots here. Thatap why I’ve introduced and voted for a number of bills to cut red tape, protect jobs, and lower the cost of living.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
In just under two years in Congress, I’ve taken many actions to lower the cost of living. I voted for the Working Families Tax Cut—saving each Colorado family an average of $4,344 a year— and pressed Denver Democrats continuously on their terrible policies that raise prices, regulation and drive businesses out of the state.
If we can invest in things like American energy production and domestic manufacturing, we can lower costs for basic goods while creating jobs. Meanwhile, Manny Rutinel wants to eliminate our state’s oil and gas industry. He’s so radical he got arrested protesting oil and gas – a top industry in the district. Manny would destroy the economy and drive up gas prices even more.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Homeland Security Committee I conduct oversight over key areas of the administration. As a strong believer in checks and balances, I will always support greater opportunities for meaningful oversight. Grocery prices and the cost of living are a great example of this, as they are currently top of mind for so many families in Colorado and across the country. This is why I support greater oversight of the administration’s handling of beef prices and explore avenues to lower costs.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
Amid Colorado Democrat’s war on oil and gas, I’ve been strongly supportive of efforts to achieve American energy independence by leveraging our state’s natural resources – creating new jobs and lowering costs. That being said, our state’s public lands are incredibly important to our way of life in Colorado and I strongly support protecting them for enjoyment by future generations. As the administration considers selecting federal lands for extraction, I will always urge them to prioritize community feedback in the decision making process.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
I have always approached immigration the same. We must secure the border, get the bad guys out, and help create more effective legal pathways for those who want to experience the American dream.
I helped introduce the Dignity Act so we prioritize border security while delivering a practical solution for immigrants who want to work hard, follow our laws, and be productive members of society.
Manny Rutinel Democrat
Residence: Commerce City
Profession: State Representative; Former Economist, US Army Corps of Engineers
Education: A.A. Community College; B.S. Microbiology and Economics, UF; M.S. Economics, Johns Hopkins; J.D. Yale Law
Experience: McDonald’s Crew Worker; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Economist; Colorado State Representative
What are your top three priorities, if elected?
I’m running to lower costs, take on corruption, and fight for working families like mine.
I’ll expand tax credits for millions of working parents, make billionaires pay what they owe in taxes, and close corporate tax loopholes. I will reduce the burden on working families by bringing down the costs of everyday things like prescription drugs, health care premiums, and energy bills.
I’ll fight to ban corporate donations to politicians, ban Congressional stock trading, and pass term limits. My campaign does not take corporate PAC money because I believe elected officials should answer to the people, not corporate special interests.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
In the Colorado House, I passed laws to take on drug companies to cap insulin prices, crack down on grocery price gouging, and built more housing that Coloradans can afford. I will do similar work in Congress.
I’ll lower healthcare costs. We need to expand Medicare’s power to negotiate lower drug prices just like the VA does for our veterans and crack down on surprise hospital billing.
I’ll stand up to the Trump-Evans tariffs driving up costs for groceries and housing, and I’ll work to end the Trump-Evans Iran war raising our gas prices.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
Gabe Evans always votes with Trump. Evans voted to continue the war and tariffs raising our gas and grocery bills, and to cut Medicaid and double health insurance premiums, all to give tax breaks to their billionaire donors.
Trump and Evans created a system that serves their big donors who buy influence, leading to policies that cater to their interests at the expense of everyone else. We can fix it.
In Congress, I’ll work to bring an end to Trump’s chaotic tariffs and forever wars and hold Trump accountable for his corruption, which is raising our costs.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
I support an all of the above energy solution to protect Colorado jobs and power Colorado’s future. And I think we can have an all of the above energy system that does not require new oil and gas leases on public land in this district and that holds bad actors accountable and polluters accountable when they contaminate our air and water.
I will always stand with Colorado’s working families, and I hope to work towards a future where every Coloradan can access abundant, affordable, and safe energy as well as beautiful public lands.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
If Trump and Evans spent as much time worrying about lowering costs as they do tormenting immigrants, things would be a lot less expensive.
We need an immigration system that improves public safety and national security by focusing on the deportation of violent criminals, gang members, and human traffickers, not our neighbors who contribute to our communities and pay taxes. We should give law enforcement the tools it needs to stop fentanyl and weapons from crossing our border. And we should provide a pathway to citizenship for groups like DREAMers while protecting workers from exploitation.
David Wood Libertarian Party
Residence: Westminster
Profession: Retired Computer Programmer
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What are your top three priorities, if elected?
Stop being the world’s policeman. Bring our troops home from the 800 bases where they are deployed in 80 countries. No more military intervention in foreign lands. No more endless wars. No more veterans who come home with PTSD or don’t come home at all.
Stop deporting peaceful hard-working immigrants and increase the number of immigration judges so immigrants can get timely due process in applying for citizenship.
Pass the balanced budget amendment bill; we should never use debt to finance federal spending except during an actual congressionally declared war.
What specific actions would you support to address concerns about the rising cost of living, oil prices, high interest rates and the toll of high inflation in recent years?
We need Free Trade. Imposing tariffs on foreign goods raises the immediate cost of raw materials, memory chips, and manufactured products, shifting those higher expenses directly onto domestic consumers.
Stop Massive Federal Spending: Large relief packages and legislative spending increase the overall money supply, put more cash in circulation, increasing demand and inflated prices for goods, services, and labor.
Limit spending to revenue, stop adding to the national debt. The higher the debt, the more interest has to be paid which adds to the taxes we pay which are part of our cost of living.
Should Congress play a stronger oversight role regarding the Trump administration, and if so, which matters deserve more scrutiny and why?
Congress must remove or tighten current laws that allow any president to declare an emergency whenever he unilaterally decide what he thinks is good for the nation.
The National Emergencies Act provides the framework for a president to declare a national emergency.
The declaration of a national emergency makes available to the president over 130 discrete statutory powers. These include the ability to shut down or control domestic transportation, suspend the Clean Air Act, and even seize Americans’ private property.
The Emergency Economic Powers Act must also be revised as it was used for the current Iran war.
The Trump administration has pushed to open more public land to oil and gas leasing. Should more federal land in Colorado be made available for extraction, and how would you use your position to influence or instruct federal public land agencies in this decision-making process?
I would ensure Congress makes these agencies have public comment periods and review protests or resource conflicts before selling or issuing leases. They must prevent undue harm to the natural landscape. The lease holders must provide financial bonds that guarantee the land is safely cleaned up and restored after use.
They must use competitive bidding for any rental rates or royalty payments.
In addition I would make a new proposal to divide the realized revenue equally between payments to reduce our onerous public debt and provide additional funding for our National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
As the Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown, what specific actions should Congress take legislatively to direct the nation’s immigration policy?
Libertarians do not support classifying undocumented immigrants as criminals. Our current immigration system is an embarrassment. People who would like to follow the legal procedures are unable to because these procedures are so complex and expensive and lengthy. If Americans want immigrants to enter through legal channels, we need to make those channels fair, reasonable, and accessible.
Congress should limit deportation strictly to those that have been proven to be a threat to public safety.
Congress should mandate hiring enough immigration review judges to ensure timely due process is followed.
Dave Wood did not return the questionnaire.
