November 17, 2025 12:37 PM UTC

Gabe Evans Definitely Doesn't Feel Your Pain

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• by: Colorado Pols

It’s the economy, stupid.

That infamous line from Bill Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign is as relevant today as it was more than 30 years ago. As Seth Klamann reports for The Denver Post, the economy and affordability remain the most important issues for Colorado’s Latino community — even in the midst of unprecedented immigration raids that are changing how many people go about their daily lives:

The issues identified more broadly in the Colorado Latino Agenda poll, which was released earlier this month, reflect a growing national consensus among all voters, not just Latinos. The overwhelming concern with affordability — respondents’ top four issues all related to the cost of living and the economy — shows that economic fears have endured through President Donald Trump’s first nine months in office, with recent elections across the country notching wins for Democrats who focused on the issue.

Despite the unpopularity of the Trump administration’s mass-deportation efforts, affordability concerns were still far and away the top concerns for voters. Forty-eight percent of respondents said the cost of living and inflation were their top priority.

Housing affordability, jobs and the economy, and health care were the next-highest priorities, followed by gun violence and, in sixth, immigration. More than half of respondents said it was most important for election officials to tackle either prices and affordability, or wages and good jobs.

This is particularly true in Colorado’s eighth congressional district, which is the most heavily-Latino district in the state (39%). As Klamann reports, politicians in CO-08 would be wise to remain laser-focused on economic issues:

“When there’s a party that holds all of the levers of power in the federal government, (voters) are going to blame that party for things they think are not going well and probably give them credit for things that are going well,” said Phil Chen, political science professor at the University of Denver…

…“So if you were (U.S. Rep.) Gabe Evans or the state Republican Party, I think it’s really important to start thinking about how you talk about issues around affordability — around housing costs, food costs, inflation, job opportunities, things like that.” [Pols emphasis]

Congressman Gabe Evans (R-Ft. Lupton) should probably think a little harder before he talks about affordability issues. Here’s what Evans said during a recent “interview” with the LIBRE Initiative, an organization targeting Hispanic voters that is primarily funded by the right-wing Koch Network:

GABE EVANS: I want to fix the cost of living, because I’ve got kids — they’re hungry — and I live paycheck to paycheck, too. Just because I’m in Congress doesn’t mean I’m rich.

We suppose the accuracy of this quote depends on your definition of “rich,” though a Congressman who raises cows as a “hobby” is most definitely doing better financially than the average resident of CO-08.

As a Member of Congress, Evans earns an annual salary of $174,000 — which is 57% more than the median household income ($100,033) in his Adams County-centered district. About 9.5% of CO-08 residents also live below the federal poverty line ($15,650 for an individual or $32,150 for a family of four).

We’re guessing you’re going to see that quote a few more times before the end of the 2026 election cycle. It’s not a good look for the most endangered Republican incumbent in the country.