Incumbent Gabe Evans (R) and Manny Rutinel (D) are running in the general election for Colorado's 8th Congressional District on November 3, 2026.

As of July 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election a toss-up. Evans defeated incumbent Yadira Caraveo (D) 49.0%–48.2% in 2024. Caraveo was elected 48.4%–47.7% in 2022. The district was created following the 2020 Census. Politico's Andrew Howard said, "Democrats remain bullish they can flip the district, which President Donald Trump won by less than a 2-point margin in 2024. Democrats’ top House super PAC has already reserved millions of dollars in ads ahead of November."

Evans was elected to the House in 2024. He earlier served two years in the Colorado House of Representatives. Evans is a former police officer and U.S. Army veteran. Evans' campaign website says he is "a Colorado native who truly understands the beauty and responsibility of the American Dream. His commitment to preserving that sacred ideal is why he served in the military, stepped up for law enforcement, and now serves in Congress — fighting every day to make Colorado the best place to live, work, and raise a family."

Rutinel was appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2023. He is an attorney and former economist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Rutinel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. In his response, Rutinel said, "Trump, Gabe Evans, and their billionaire donors plan to lay off half the Social Security workforce and shutter field offices, causing delay, disruption, and denial of earned benefits. It’s a backdoor cut that inflicts pain on seniors and people with disabilities, and I’m running to stop it."

As of June 10, 2026, Evans had raised $4.89 million and Rutinel had raised $4.13 million.

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.

Currently, Republicans have a 219-212 majority with four vacancies in the chamber.