With the presidential election just around the corner, also on the ballot is the representative of Colorado’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Following the narrow results of the 2022 election, the 2024 race has been called a toss-up by political analysts.

Yadira Caraveo is currently the representative for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District and is running for reelection. Voters will decide between Caraveo and her opponents, which include Gabe Evans, Susan Hall, Chris Baum and James Treibert.

Yadira Caraveo

Caraveo is the Democratic candidate, and her campaign website details the policies and changes she has worked on in her tenure as congresswoman thus far. Caraveo won District 8 in 2022, defeating Republican candidate Barbara Kirkmeyer.

Caraveo’s defining issues include lowering the cost of living and protecting reproductive rights, among others.

She has worked as a pediatrician, with her work in health care fueling her passion for the legislative process. Caraveo says in a statement on her website that she is “working to lower health care costs, address the high cost of housing, combat climate change and protect a woman’s freedom to choose.”

Caraveo’s endorsements include Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, among others. 

Gabe Evans

Evans is the Republican candidate, and he has served in the U.S. Army and in various law enforcement roles, which have fueled his interest in elected office. Evans also ran for and won the Colorado State House District 48 race in 2022.

In terms of goals for the future, Evans “is running toward his next challenge: taking his conservative vision to Congress to make Colorado the best place possible to live and raise a family,” according to the Weld County Republicans website.

The four pillars of Evans’ campaign are American prosperity, security and education and defending American values.

Evans’ endorsements include those from fellow Colorado State Rep. Anthony Hartsook and Colorado mayors Greg Mills of Brighton and Adam Morehead of Dacono.

Susan Hall

Hall is the candidate affiliated with the Unity Party. Labeling herself as the “pro-peace candidate,” Hall’s main goals are working for a free Palestine, Medicare for all and keeping money out of politics. She does not accept corporate donations. Hall graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a degree in Chicano studies and previously worked as a teacher.

Hall listed water scarcity and contamination, lack of mental health resources, gun violence in schools, access to reliable news and free public transportation as her top priorities for office, with the ongoing conflict in Gaza as her main running issue.

“The (two) reasons that I’m running is, first, to alert and protest the genocide of Palestinian people,” Hall said. “The second one is to try to alert people and say, ‘Hey, there is a different option as far as voting goes.'”

Although now retired, Hall said her experience both as a teacher and as a student has influenced her ideas when it comes to government.

“I have a Chicano studies major, which has allowed me to look into history more,” Hall said. “And I’m thinking that may be more important than just any degree for a government official, especially if it’s national because they need to know what has happened and therefore what’s happening today.”

Chris Baum

Baum is affiliated with the Approval Voting Party, a minority party that aims to move the country “beyond two-party thinking,” according to a flyer posted on its website.

Baum is from Washington, D.C., having served in the U.S. Navy and worked as an information systems administrator.

James Treibert

Treibert is running as a write-in candidate and is unaffiliated. While Treibert does not have a campaign website, his LinkedIn page details his work experience. Treibert currently works as a library materials handler at the University of Colorado Health Science Center.

Reach Aubree Miller at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @aubree.miller07.