Barbara Kirkmeyer’s campaign; Yadira Caraveo’s campaign; Insider
Democrat Yadira Caraveo defeated Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.
Colorado gained one House seat following the 2020 Census because of its population growth.
The newly-created 8th District is a battleground seat in the suburbs north of Denver.
Democrat Yadira Caraveo defeated Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District.
Caraveo scored a narrow victory with 48.4% of the vote to Kirkmeyer’s 47.7%.
Polls closed in the state at 7 p.m. local time, or 9 p.m. EST.
Colorado’s 8th Congressional District candidates
The Democratic nominee, state Rep. Yadira Caraveo, easily secured her party’s nomination for the seat. Caraveo, a physician, ran a campaign heavily focused on affordable healthcare and climate change.
The Republican nominee, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a former local elected official and businesswoman, beat out a crowded field of opponents including Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine, a far-right candidate who national groups spent money boosting in the primary in the hopes that she would be less electable in the general election.
Voting history for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District
Colorado gained one House seat following the 2020 Census because of its population growth over the past decade, and the state’s redistricting commission drew the new seat in the suburbs and exurbs north of Denver.
A Colorado Sun analysis of past election results showed that the district is highly competitive for both parties: it would have backed Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet by 2.3 points and former President Donald Trump by 1.7 points in 2016 and would have voted for Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper by 1.7 points in 2020.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Caraveo raised $2.6 million, spent $2.1 million, and had $582,793 in cash on hand, as of September 30. Her opponent, Kirkmeyer, raised $1.1 million, spent $810,785, and had $312,417 cash on hand, as of September 30.
As of mid-October, super PACs, national party committees, and other non-candidate groups combined to spend about $11 million to advocate for or against the candidates, including during the primaries.
What experts say
The race between Caraveo and Kirkmeyer was rated as a “toss-up” by Inside Elections, a “toss-up” by The Cook Political Report, and “leans Republican” by Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.