May 27, 2025 03:49 PM UTC

The Trickle Down Political Effect of "One-Term Gabe Evans"

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• by: Colorado Pols

Congressman Gabe Evans (R-Ft. Morgan) was already in political trouble before he voted for last week’s House Republican budget that seeks to gut Medicaid and SNAP benefits; expand the national debt by at least $2.4 trillion; likely cripple Medicare spending; AND allow President Trump and his administration a neat way to avoid the Judicial Branch altogether.

As we’ve written before in this space, Evans is the “poster child” for vulnerable House Republicans in 2026. Since Evans only won in 2024 by about 2,500 votes, he would have been a top target for Democrats even before he decided to go down with the ship — the “S.S. Big Beautiful Bill.” But now that he is on record — again and again and again — in support of cutting Medicaid benefits to one-third of the children in his eighth congressional district, the line is growing for candidates looking to take him out in 2026. Democrats Manny Rutinel and Yadira Caraveo were already in the race, and last week State Rep. Shannon Bird joined the fray as well.

Bird had been a declared candidate for State Senate (SD-25) in 2026, but she dropped that race in order to run for Congress in CO-08. That move created a vacuum that State Rep. William Lindstedt (D-Broomfield) quickly filled with an announcement this morning:

I am thrilled to announce that I am running to be the next State Senator from Senate District 25 to serve Broomfield, Westminster, and Northglenn. I’m running to make Colorado more affordable for working people, to invest in our schools, and to protect our clean air and water.

As a State Representative, I have passed dozens of important pieces of legislation and built a proven track record of getting results for my district and all of Colorado. In a time of uncertainty and chaos in Washington, we need steady, experienced leadership that gets things done.

Our campaign is off to a strong start with the support of over 40 current and former elected officials from across the district and the state.

Lindstedt’s endorsements include Bird and State Rep. Jenny Willford (D-Northglenn), as well as other big local names that indicate he will likely have an easy route to the upper chamber in 2026.

Several names will now look to replace Lindstedt in HD-33, including Heidi Henkel, Paloma Delgadillo, and Kenny Nguyen of the Broomfield City Council; and Sam Taylor, also a former Broomfield City Council member and a former President of the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce.