U.S. House, Colorado 8th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated

Who should I vote for in Colorado's 8th Congressional District?

Gabe Evans has the strongest record in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. Gabe Evans scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Manny Rutinel at 57, as of October 9, 2026. Gabe Evans's highest marks are showing up and courage. Manny Rutinel's highest marks are relevant experience and communication. Dave Wood (2 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Republican · incumbent

Strongest record

Gabe Evans

64 / 100

Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria

Character
55
Qualifications
70
Performance
69

Campaign siteOfficial officeFEC filings

Democratic

Manny Rutinel

57 / 100

Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria

Character
50
Qualifications
65
Performance
50

Campaign siteFEC filings

Libertarian

Dave Wood

Not enough public record for a score

Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria

Character
NR
Qualifications
50
Performance
NR

Campaign site

The good, the bad and the unresolved

The record

The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.

Gabe Evans

Manny Rutinel

Dave Wood

No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.

Who they are

Character

Integrity

Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 15, 2026 with the House Clerk. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078293, House Committee on Ethics site search for Evans, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Candidate financial disclosure filed with the House Clerk on May 15, 2026. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC. No FEC administrative fine or ethics finding found.

Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077663, FEC administrative fines search

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Courage

Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. Voted against House Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer on several significant measures, including Yea on the Protect America's Workforce Act (2025), Nay on the Protect Children's Innocence Act (2025) and Yea to override a presidential veto (2026).

Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 332, 2025, Protect America's Workforce Act, House Clerk Roll Call 351, 2025, Protect Children's Innocence Act, House Clerk Roll Call 9, 2026, veto override, Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act

NR

Manny Rutinel. No public record found.

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Accountability

Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Debated Manny Rutinel in Berthoud on Oct. 7, 2026, the race's only scheduled debate. Both candidates declined a primetime TV debate.

Sources: Denver Post, Oct. 7, 2026, Colorado Newsline, Oct. 7, 2026, Axios Denver, Sept. 29, 2026

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Debated Gabe Evans in Berthoud on Oct. 7, 2026, the race's only scheduled debate. Both candidates declined a primetime TV debate.

Sources: Denver Post, Oct. 7, 2026, Colorado Newsline, Oct. 7, 2026, Axios Denver, Sept. 29, 2026

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Temperament and judgment

Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Served 12 years in the Army and Colorado Army National Guard and 11 years as an Arvada police officer, then in the legislature and Congress. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.

Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Evans

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Served as an Army Corps of Engineers economist and as a state representative from October 2023 to September 2026. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.

Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Ballotpedia, Manny Rutinel

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Fidelity to the oath

Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Took and kept the oaths of military service, police service, the Colorado House and the U.S. House (since January 2025). No misuse-of-office finding; not in Congress for any electoral count objection.

Sources: Office site, About, GovTrack, Gabe Evans

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Took and kept the oath of a Colorado state representative from October 2023 until his resignation on Sept. 4, 2026. No misuse-of-office finding found.

Source: Colorado General Assembly, Representative Manny Rutinel

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

What they bring

Qualifications

Relevant experience

Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. One term in the Colorado House (2023 to 2024), U.S. representative since January 2025, and a former National Guard helicopter company commander and police lieutenant.

Source: Office site, About

3 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Colorado state representative for House District 32 from October 2023 to September 2026 (appointed, then elected in 2024); earlier an Army Corps of Engineers economist and an attorney.

Sources: Colorado Newsline, Oct. 2, 2023, Ballotpedia, Manny Rutinel, Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Command of the job

Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. Serves on the Energy and Commerce and Homeland Security committees and their subcommittees. Holds no chair or ranking post.

Source: GovTrack, committee membership

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. States priorities on costs, health care, taxes and campaign finance in the Denver Post questionnaire and Ballotpedia survey, mostly in general terms.

Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Ballotpedia, Manny Rutinel

2 / 4

Dave Wood. Publishes Libertarian positions on foreign policy, immigration and a balanced budget amendment in general terms.

Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Campaign site, home page

Communication

Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. Answered Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and the Denver Post questionnaire, offers a newsletter, and debated in October 2026.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Gabe Evans, Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Office site, home page, Denver Post, Oct. 7, 2026

3 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Answered Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and the Denver Post questionnaire, and debated in October 2026.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Manny Rutinel, Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Denver Post, Oct. 7, 2026

2 / 4

Dave Wood. Answered the Denver Post's 2026 candidate questionnaire and publishes a campaign site.

Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Campaign site, home page

Roots in the constituency

Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. Colorado native born in Aurora who represented a district inside the 8th in the legislature and lives on a farm in southern Weld County. About 26 percent of itemized individual contributions by state are from Colorado.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Gabe Evans, Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state

3 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Lives in Commerce City and represented House District 32 in Adams County, inside the 8th District. About 13 percent of itemized individual contributions by state are from Colorado.

Sources: Denver Post candidate Q&A, Oct. 3, 2026, Colorado Newsline, Oct. 2, 2023, FEC contribution totals by state

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Management

Can build and run an organization.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.

Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

What they deliver

Performance

Results

Turns ideas into outcomes.

3 / 4

Gabe Evans. No Center for Effective Lawmaking federal score yet (first term). CEL rated him Meets Expectations in the Colorado House (2023 to 2024), with 4 laws; his Ratepayer Protection Act passed the U.S. House 417 to 3 in September 2026.

Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores, all 50 states (Sept. 2026), Colorado Public Radio, Sept. 16, 2026, Colorado General Assembly, Evans prime-sponsored bills 2023 to 2024

2 / 4

Manny Rutinel. The Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Below Expectations in the Colorado House for 2023 to 2024. The legislature lists 20 of his 30 prime-sponsored bills from 2024 to 2026 as signed by the governor.

Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores, all 50 states (Sept. 2026), Colorado General Assembly, Rutinel prime-sponsored bills 2024 to 2026, Axios Denver, March 16, 2026

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Showing up

Does the basic work of the job.

4 / 4

Gabe Evans. Missed 0 of 676 roll call votes, 0.0 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.

Source: GovTrack, missed votes

NR

Manny Rutinel. No public record found.

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Constituent service

Solves problems for the people they represent.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. Runs district offices in Greeley and Northglenn and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.

Sources: Office site, About, Office site, home page

NR

Manny Rutinel. No public record found.

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Coalition building

Wins support beyond their own faction.

2 / 4

Gabe Evans. No Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score yet (first term). His Ratepayer Protection Act passed the House 417 to 3, backed by Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor.

Source: Colorado Public Radio, Sept. 16, 2026

NR

Manny Rutinel. No public record found.

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

Stewardship of public money

Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.

NR

Gabe Evans. No public record found.

NR

Manny Rutinel. No public record found.

NR

Dave Wood. No public record found.

How to read this

Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.

A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.

No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.

Questions

Who should I vote for in Colorado's 8th Congressional District?

Gabe Evans has the strongest record in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. Gabe Evans scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Manny Rutinel at 57, as of October 9, 2026. Gabe Evans's highest marks are showing up and courage. Manny Rutinel's highest marks are relevant experience and communication. Dave Wood (2 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Who is running in Colorado's 8th Congressional District in 2026?

Gabe Evans (Republican, incumbent), Manny Rutinel (Democratic), Dave Wood (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.

Is Gabe Evans a good candidate for Congress?

Gabe Evans scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Manny Rutinel a good candidate for Congress?

Manny Rutinel scores 57 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Dave Wood a good candidate for Congress?

Dave Wood has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.

How is the strongest record decided?

The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.

More on this race: every Colorado race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Colorado 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.