Republican Gabe Evans wins Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, beating incumbent Yadira Caraveo

Republican challenger Gabe Evans has defeated Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, one of the nation’s most closely watched races, according to the Associated Press.

With this race called, and another in California today, this leaves the Republicans with 216 seats, to the Democrats’ 207 seats. The GOP is now just two seats shy of a majority in the House, with 12 races remaining to be called.

Evans previously served in the U.S. Army and Colorado Army National Guard as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot and company commander.

In addition to his service in the military, Evans, a first-term state representative from Fort Lupton, also served as an Arvada police officer for more than a decade. 

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State Rep. Gabe Evans and Dem. Rep. Yadira Caraveo faced off in CO-08 (Getty Images)

Former President Trump gave Evans his “Complete and Total Endorsement” earlier this year, writing in a post to Truth Social, “A decorated Army helicopter pilot and police officer, Gabe will be an INCREDIBLE Fighter in Congress and will work hard to Grow the Economy, Lower Inflation, Uphold the Rule of Law, Defend the Border, Promote American Energy, and Support our Great Military and Police.”

Caraveo, a pediatrician, campaigned hard on abortion access and associated Evans with the policies and rhetoric of Trump.

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Colorado State House of Representative Gabe Evans works at the Colorado State Capitol on February 8, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Immigration was a key issue during the campaign in a district that’s nearly 40% Latino and was expected to play a pivotal role in determining which party controls Congress.

Caraveo was one of 211 Democrats who voted against the Secure the Border Act of 2023. That measure, which passed in the House, would have expanded the type of crimes that make someone ineligible for asylum, limited the eligibility to those who arrive at ports of entry, mandated a system similar to the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system and created additional penalties for visa overstay.

Caraveo was also one of the many House Democrats who voted against a GOP-led effort in the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Dem. Rep. Yadira Caraveo (Getty Images)

During her previous tenure in the Colorado state House of Representatives, Caraveo joined other Democrats from across the nation to send a letter urging the Biden administration to relax immigration rules and “divest from immigration enforcement agencies like ICE and CBP.”

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Colorado’s 8th District comprises most of Adams County, a large portion of Weld County, and part of Larimer County north of downtown Denver.

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed to this report