Colorado US House race between Rep. Caraveo and Evans too early to call

By JESSE BEDAYN The Associated Press

FILE - U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., joins a protest by union members against the proposed merger of grocery store chains Kroger and Albertsons, Sept. 30, 2024, outside the City/County Building. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Zalubowski]

DENVER (AP) — A U.S. House race in a newly formed district in Colorado was too early to call as two candidates were locked in a test of Republican and Democratic appeal to Latino voters.

Latinos make up nearly 40% of the electorate in the district north of Denver, where Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans was trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo in a race that could determine control of the U.S. House. The race had not yet been called as of early Wednesday.

It was not only one of the closest but one of the closest-watched races this season.

Caraveo won by less that 1,700 votes in 2022 in the district created after redistricting in 2020.

Caraveo and Evans are both Hispanic and have carefully tailored their platforms and rhetoric away from some positions in their party — particularly around border security — and toward both the Latino population and undecided voters who will determine the outcome.

FILE - Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans talks to well-wishers before the first Republican primary debate for the state's 8th Congressional district seat, Jan. 25, 2024, in Fort Lupton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Zalubowski

The balancing act comes a time when views on immigration are increasingly nuanced, including among Latinos.

While swinging an endorsement from presidential candidate Donald Trump, Evans’ has nonetheless separated himself from some of the former president’s policy proposals and more caustic rhetoric around immigration.

Evans demurred when asked about Trump’s proposal to use the National Guard for mass deportations of everyone who is in the country illegally, and leans into proposals to make it easier for people to immigrate legally.

Evans, a grandson of Mexican immigrants, does however lean heavily into demands for greater border security and more resources to find and deport those who have committed violent crimes or are in cartels. The candidate is trying to tap into voters’ concerns around public safety, which he sees as a weakness for Democrats.

Caraveo, too, has deviated from her party during her tenure in Congress and on the campaign trail, demanding greater border security and a harder line on crime. In speeches and interviews, Caraveo lumps Evans in with Trump’s more extreme rhetoric against immigrants, seeing that as a weakness for Republicans among Latino voters.

Both candidates are trying to reach voters on one of the core issues for many Americans, including Latinos: the cost of living.

Evans served in the military, as a police officer and in the National Guard and was elected to the Colorado House in 2022. Caraveo, whose parents immigrated from Mexico, is a pediatrician and was elected to the Colorado House before joining Congress in 2022.