THORNTON, Colo. — Fresh off his win in one of the most closely divided congressional districts in the country, Congressman-elect Gabe Evans held a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Thornton on Monday, where he thanked supporters and outlined his priorities.
Evans, a state representative and former Arvada police officer, narrowly defeated Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo, flipping Colorado’s 8th Congressional District from Democratic to Republican-held.
It's the biggest win Colorado Republicans have seen in a decade when Cory Gardner defeated incumbent Senator Mark Udall in 2014.
“This is the honor of a lifetime to be able to represent this district in Congress, to be your voice, to continue the fight to make us a safe, affordable place to live, to work, to raise families, to achieve that American dream that we all love, that we all know and that we all treasure,” said Evans.
Evans said Caraveo called him to concede the race on Sunday after it became clear there was no path for her to win.
“First, I want to thank my opponent for running a hard, well-fought campaign,” Evans said. “My hat is truly off to her. I know that was a difficult phone call to make, but we had a conversation where she offered me her congratulations, and I thanked her for her service, for her groundbreaking historical service as Colorado's first Latina in Congress.”
Caraveo also released a public statement on Sunday.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Colorado’s 8th Congressional District. I came to get things done and have spent the last two years working to find common ground and bipartisan solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community,” said Caraveo. “While this isn’t the outcome we had hoped for, the work is not over. I look forward to returning to Washington to finish out this term and will continue to be an independent voice for the people of this district.”
Politics
Republican Gabe Evans wins Colorado's 8th Congressional District
Evan said Caraveo offered her assistance in helping his team transition into office.
Both parties spent millions fighting for Colorado's 8th Congressional District.
Evans' win brings Republicans one seat closer to retaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives. It comes at a crucial time, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term. A Republican-controlled Congress would make it easier for Trump to implement his agenda.
One of the biggest issues of the congressional campaign was how to fix America’s broken immigration system. Evans said he has a few ideas, which would be the focus of his first bill.
"The first bill that I'm planning to work on is a bill that is going to make sure that our law enforcement — state and local law enforcement — is again empowered to be able to work with their federal counterparts to get violent criminals illegally present in our community out of our community,” Evans said. “After we've got those priorities done, then we can absolutely continue to have that conversation about what do we do with the millions of folks who are present illegally in the United States but who aren't committing crimes and who aren't really causing massive problems in our society.”
Evans said he would not support any policy that separates families.
"I'm not a big fan of separating families," Evans said.
Considering the 8th Congressional District is a swing district, Denver7 asked Evans how often he would offer an independent voice in Congress, as opposed to just going along with his party.
"These are all questions where the devil is in the details. You have to really dig into that policy, and you have to look into that policy," Evans said. "My faith guides me. I follow the Constitution, and I listen to my constituents. And so, in order, that is how I'm going to be making my decisions."
Defeating a sitting member of Congress is hardly easy. Incumbent lawmakers usually enjoy much higher name recognition among voters and have the added advantage of being able to raise more money than most of their opponents.
According to the nonpartisan research group Open Secrets, 98% of incumbents in the U.S. House are expected to retain their seats this year.
Evans will be sworn into office on Jan. 3 when the new Congress convenes.
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