Gabe Evans is hoping to sway the 40 or so Colorado officials who endorsed his former opponent Scott James to his camp in his bid to win the Republican primary for the 8th Congressional District.
James – a Weld County Commissioner – dropped out of the race to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep Yadira Caraveo of Thornton in the November general election.
James, a local radio personality, collected endorsements from county commissioners and several other public officials, including Thornton Mayor Jan Kulmann, during his primary run.
Evans, a state representative from Fort Lupton, won the endorsements of Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative political nonprofit.
“Gabe is reaching out to Scott’s endorsers and has secured the support of a few already,” Alan Philip, spokesman for Evans, said via email. “We’ll be announcing several in the coming days.”
James said in his Facebook post announcing his decision to drop out that he can best serve the state from his home in Johnstown. He said he will be “continuing to serve and lift my voice for the people I love in the country and the state I love.”
Evans praised James as a friend and an ally.
“I appreciate that he made me a better candidate in the process and look forward to continuing to work with him in the years ahead as he continues to serve in Weld County,” Evans said in an email statement. “We are united in our desire to advance the conservative cause, and that begins with stopping Joe Biden’s and Yardira Caraveo’s extreme, far-left agenda.”
The winner of the Republican primary on June 25 will take on Caraveo in a race that has attracted national attention. Caraveo of Thornton won the seat by just 1,600 votes in 2022.
First-time candidate Joe Andujo, an insurance executive, and former state Rep. Janak Joshi, are also vying for the Republican nomination.