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May 20, 2025 09:02 AM UTC

Gabe Evans Does Not Want To Run Against Shannon Bird

  • 16 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
State Rep. Shannon Bird (D).

As Ernest Luning reports for the Colorado Springs Gazette’s political blog, America’s Most Vulnerable Republican™ Rep. Gabe Evans is getting a new Democratic challenger today who just might be the candidate who makes Evans a one-term congressman: longtime state Rep. Shannon Bird of Westminster, a member of powerful Joint Budget Committee, who says she has the right balance of competence and vision to meet the test of representing the state’s most competitive congressional district:

An attorney and former member of the Westminster City Council, the 56-year-old Bird is serving her fourth term in the legislature and is vice chair of the powerful Joint Budget Committee. She’s the third Democrat to declare a candidacy this year in the toss-up 8th CD, which covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties, stretching from suburbs north of the Denver metro area to Greeley…

“We are living in extraordinary times,” Bird said, noting that Evans recently voted for a federal budget provision that Democrats and some analysts say could throw more than 100,000 Coloradans off of the Medicaid rolls over the next decade.

“I couldn’t sit back,” Bird said. “Not only do we need to defend the people of our state — for so many reasons, our economy and our freedoms and our future are under attack — but Donald Trump, again with the full support of the current 8th District representative, keeps making it harder for families like the one I grew up in just to get a fair shot.”

We expect Bird to compete strongly in the CO-08 primary, and of the candidates who have so far announced their intention to run for Evans’ seat in 2026, Bird is probably the one Evans is most afraid to run against in the general election. This is not to say that other qualified contenders can’t beat Evans. But as a veteran state representative who has been cautious in her votes on some of the more fraught ideological battles under the dome, Bird arguably gives Evans less to work with in terms of painting her as “too far left.” At the same time, Rep. Bird has a full suite of devastating messages at her disposal to drive home against Evans, whose so-far total loyalty to Donald Trump and the MAGA agenda is completely out of step with the swing district Evans represents.

Gabe Evans never flinches when he’s shilling for his party’s agenda. But when he heard Shannon Bird was getting into the race against him, we’d bet money it gave Gabe Evans a moment of concern.

If it did not, Evans is even more deluded than we thought.

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16 thoughts on “Gabe Evans Does Not Want To Run Against Shannon Bird”

  1. She's got some heavy endorsements on her webpage including Adams County Commissioners Julie Duran Mullica, and Steve O'Dorisio, and State Senator Kyle Mullica all of whom were reportedly considering a campaign of their own for CD8.

  2. I worry though to win the 8th and beat a Latino, the Dems need a Latino. (Yes, I know Yadira is a Latina but she also shouldn't have sought reelection). I don't know how much Bird's legislative experience will matter when Manny Rutinel's well-funded campaign can easily make the pitch that he understands better what the Hispanic majority district needs. It's identity politics but  in a close race, it likely will make a difference 

  4. Is Shannon Bird the candidate that CoPols wants to put their thumb on the scale for? I can’t post the screenshot of a recent post by Joe Salazar on Facebook, this site won’t let me copy and paste it. So, I’ll just write it. I agree with him 100%

    Joe Salazar, Facebook post on Shannon Bird’s candidacy for CD8, posted today, 5/20

    So, Rep. Shannon Bird decided to step into the CD8 primary. I have big problems with this, particularly since the district was drawn to be a Latino/a district and Shannon has a freaking horrible record standing up for communities of color and immigrant communities.

    In fact, her record is SO bad that the then Chair of the Adams County Democrats organized a meeting between me and Shannon to discuss her white privileged votes harming the Latino commmunity. Instead of listening to my concerns and the concerns of her own damn colleagues, she doubled down on her prejudice against communities of color in subsequent votes.

    I’m going to make it my mission to advise Weld County and Adams County residents that this privileged white woman doesn’t give a damn about our communities, and she doesn’t deserve to be in Congress. Already too many cowards occupy seats in Congress.

    In the Age of Trump, we should be sick and tired of White Elected’s (any elected for that matter…ie Yadira Caraveo), Dems and Repubs alike, with racist voting records thinking they can represent our communities.

     

    1. "I have big problems with this, particularly since the district was drawn to be a Latino/a district and Shannon has a freaking horrible record standing up for communities of color and immigrant communities."

      Joe would have a problem with that since he is one of the Big Kuhunas when it comes to identity politics.

      But he can't even do identity politics correctly. He said this is a "Latino/a district" but he excludes Latinxes. What gives Joe? Does your diversity and inclusion only go so far?

      Should Joe Neguse vacate CD-2 because it was obviously drawn for a CU/Boulder white liberal? (Spoiler alert:  I'm being facetious. Of course he should not, unless he is running for the US Senate.)

       

      1. Excluding Latinxes makes Joe, what? Most folks in the Latino community haven't even heard of the term Latinx and of those who have, most hate it. And that's your reason for dismissing Joe's concerns? BTW, Joe isn't the only one who has raised this issue about Shannon.

        Love Joe (or in your case LBIAWPos, hate him) he raises a solid point.

        And Joe Neguse does a great job so let's just leave him out of this.

         

        1. “Most folks in the Latino community haven’t even heard of the term Latinx and of those who have, most hate it.”

          So what? Does that mean that we marginalize those who are not male or female? 

          As for the Latin community, Google the word “muxes” and learn something about their role in th Zapotec culture in Oaxaca.

    2. Joe might just need to be reminded that, in addition to electing Evans, CD 8 went for Trump in '24.  He may want an AOC for this district, but those politics simply would not fit this district.

    3. Reading between the lines, it looks to me like Joe Salazar would prefer Manny Rutinel? I looked on Rutinel's webpage and didn't see Joe's endorsement listed. Just curious.

  5. 2 big-picture numbers for CD8 – it's about 38.5% "Hispanic or Latino" (per redistricting commission), which I'm pretty sure is the largest percentage in Colorado. It's also more than 46% unaffiliated (2021 numbers), which makes me suspect harder-core ideology might not play quite so well. Caraveo tacked to the center during her last campaign on some issues, I believe more or less for that reason. I'm not going to take sides right now anyway, just wanted to toss out these numbers.

    1. CO-08 Active voter registrations, according to the May 1, 2025 Secretary of State file:

      Dems 25.51% Reps 23.07% Unaffiliated 49.06%. All other parties are below 1% each.

       

        1. That's because most of us unaffiliated voters are disgusted with both parties albeit for very different reasons.

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