Colorado 8th District Voter Guide: Evans, Rutinel and Wood on Health Coverage and Immigration
Three candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's official general election candidate list: Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, Democrat Manny Rutinel and Libertarian Dave Wood. The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares where they stand on health coverage and immigration.
The district runs along the U.S. 85 corridor north of Denver, from Adams County to Greeley, and has had Colorado's closest congressional elections since it was created after the 2020 census, The Colorado Sun reported. Evans flipped the seat in 2024 with 49 percent of the vote, according to Wikipedia's summary of the results.
Why Health Coverage and Immigration Are Issues in Colorado's 8th District
The Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Democratic as of Oct. 23, 2026, meaning it expects the seat to change parties. Sabato's Crystal Ball also rates it Lean Democratic as of Oct. 20, according to Wikipedia's ratings table. A September poll by McLaughlin & Associates, a Republican firm, had Evans at 48 percent and Rutinel at 46 percent among 400 likely voters, according to the same table.
The Colorado Sun asked Evans and Rutinel the same questions on Medicaid work requirements, health care, legal immigration and people living in the U.S. illegally. The Coloradoan published a candidate questionnaire from Wood. The positions below come from those sources.
On health coverage, the TDFP video says Evans supports Medicaid work requirements for working-age adults without young dependents and curbing fraud. It says Rutinel opposes added Medicaid work requirements and backs wider access and more Medicare drug price negotiation, and that no published health coverage position from Wood was found.
On immigration, the video says Evans backs legal status, not citizenship, for qualifying immigrants who have been in the U.S. since 2020, and would expand agricultural visas. It says Rutinel backs a path to citizenship for Dreamers and longtime immigrants who work and pay taxes, and that Wood would stop deporting peaceful, hardworking immigrants and add immigration judges to speed due process.
Gabe Evans (Republican)
Evans, of Fort Lupton, is finishing his first term in Congress. He served two years as a state representative and previously worked as an Arvada police officer and as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, The Colorado Sun reported.
On health coverage, Evans told The Colorado Sun he supports the Medicaid work requirements in the 2025 budget law: "Able-bodied, working-aged adults with no young dependents, we said you've got to work, volunteer, or go to school part-time in order to get taxpayer-funded healthcare through Medicaid, and so I support that." Asked how he would change the health care system, he said he would "cut out all the fraud, waste, and abuse" in Medicaid.
On immigration, Evans said he supports expanding legal pathways for "people that want to do things the right way," including the visa for agricultural workers: "It's a seasonal visa, so that's great if you're growing corn or crops or something like that. It's basically useless if you're growing livestock because livestock need care year-round." Asked whether people living in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay, he pointed to the proposed Dignity Act: "That's helping people get a work permit or a visa, as long as they can show they're not causing problems, they're not committing crimes, they're not abusing welfare." He said it is "not a pathway to citizenship" and would apply only to people in the U.S. since 2020 or earlier.
Manny Rutinel (Democrat)
Rutinel, an attorney, served three years in the Colorado House of Representatives, The Colorado Sun reported.
On health coverage, Rutinel told The Colorado Sun: "I don't believe in additional red tape or work requirements," arguing they are a barrier designed to push people off Medicaid. "I'm interested in making sure that the folks who desperately need medical care are able to access it," he said. He also wants Medicare to negotiate drug prices: "That way we can lower prescription costs for seniors, while also lowering our deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars that would otherwise be going into profits for Big Pharma."
On immigration, Rutinel said he supports "making sure we have a pathway to citizenship" for people protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and a pathway for "immigrants that have been here the longest, that are working hard and paying our taxes." He did not give specifics on who should qualify, the Sun reported.
Dave Wood (Libertarian)
Wood, of Westminster, is a retired computer programmer. He challenged the military draft during the Vietnam War, went to jail and was later pardoned, Colorado Public Radio reported. "Libertarians are big on making their own choices in life and not having the government dictate what to do," he told CPR.
On health coverage, no published position from Wood was found.
On immigration, Wood listed this among his top priorities in the Coloradoan's questionnaire: "Stop the shameful deporting of peaceful hardworking immigrants and increase the number of immigration judges so immigrants can get timely due process in applying for citizenship."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Gabe Evans: @GabeforColorado on X and electgabeevans.com. Manny Rutinel: @MannyRutinel on X and mannyforcolorado.com. Dave Wood: davewood4colorado.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Colorado voters can check their registration and ballot status through the Colorado Secretary of State at coloradosos.gov. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Colorado Secretary of State, 2026 general election official candidate list: https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections/vote/generalCandidates.html ; The Colorado Sun, CO-8 voter guide (Oct. 21, 2026): https://coloradosun.com/2026/10/21/manny-rutinel-gabe-evans-voter-guide-colorado-district-8/ ; The Coloradoan, Q&A with Dave Wood (Oct. 1, 2026): https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/01/dave-wood-running-for-election-to-8th-congressional-district-colorado/91803260007/ ; Colorado Public Radio, 8th District third-party voter guide: https://www.cpr.org/2026/09/25/vg-2026-8th-congressional-district-third-party-voter-guide/ ; Cook Political Report House ratings: https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings ; Wikipedia, 2026 U.S. House elections in Colorado: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Colorado
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