State Rep. Gabe Evans defeated Janak Joshi on Tuesday night in the Republican primary to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo in November.
The Associated Press called it for Evans just after 7:20 p.m. Evans, a first-term state House member from Fort Lupton, was leading with 28,874 votes, or 77.96% of the total, to 8,164 for Joshi, or 22.4%, in early results posted to the Colorado secretary of state’s website after voting ended at 7 p.m.
RELATED: Primary election results
Evans and Joshi did not return immediately requests for comment.
Evans, a former Army helicopter pilot and Arvada police officer, had been favored in the GOP race in the north-central 8th Congressional District, given his recent role in state politics and longstanding ties to the district. Joshi, a physician who surrendered his medical license 16 years ago, recently moved to the north Denver suburbs from the Colorado Springs area. Evans had also carried a more than 3-to-1 fundraising advantage over Joshi.
The primary between the two men saw diverging endorsements from key Republicans. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Evans, and the Colorado Republican Party — run by Trump supporter Dave Williams — backed Joshi as part of the party’s break from primary neutrality.
With the primary now behind him, Evans enters one of the most-watched races in the country. Caraveo had no Democratic primary opponent.
The 8th District is Colorado’s newest congressional seat, drawn in 2022 through the state’s redistricting process. It covers a swath of north-central Colorado, stretching from Thornton and Brighton up to Greeley and west to Berthoud and the edges of Loveland. When it was created, the district had the closest partisan margin — a slight Democratic lean — of any congressional seat in the state.
Related Articles
Election |
Colorado primary election results 2024
Election |
Lauren Boebert’s political future is on the line in today’s Colorado primary election
Election |
Voters will decide whether to support Denver Health through increase in city’s sales tax
Election |
Can Biden perform and can Trump be boring? Key questions ahead of high-stakes presidential debate
Election |
Deep pockets fuel primary election fight for Colorado Democratic Party’s future
In that inaugural contest, Caraveo eked out a win over Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.
Now the race again is projected by analysts to be one of the most hotly contested in the country this fall, as Republicans look to defend their narrow majority in U.S. House. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
Source:: The Denver Post – Politics
