The Libertarian candidate running in Colorado’s highly competitive 8th Congressional District plans to drop out of the race and has endorsed Republican Gabe Evans, giving a major boost to the GOP in their efforts to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo.
Caraveo beat her Republican opponent in 2022, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, by roughly 1,600 votes in the district that spans the northeastern Denver suburbs along U.S. 85 into Greeley. The Libertarian candidate running that year, Richard “Dan” Ward, a tattooed electrician who enjoys heavy metal music, received 9,280 votes.
Republicans called Ward a spoiler in the race and were hell-bent on preventing a similar outcome in 2024.
Libertarian candidate Eric Joss has been running this year to represent the district, but at a news conference Tuesday evening he said after weeks of conversations with Evans, a state representative, he had decided to exit the race and back the lawmaker.
“We have agreed on a number of principles,” Joss said. “And in return, I am going to step out of the race.”
Joss said he thinks “it’s important for Colorado and the nation to elect the most liberty-conscious candidates possible.”
“In this case right here, I can say enthusiastically, in my opinion, it’s Mr. Gabe Evans,” Joss said.
As part of the deal, Evans signed a pledged that includes many mainstream Republican campaign platforms, including:
- Supporting a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and safeguards that any aid to Ukraine be accountable and transparent
- Reducing the size of government
- Voting to protect and uphold the right to bear arms
- Supporting pathways for states to make and enforce their own marijuana laws
The pledge Evans signed Tuesday is a far cry from a similar document developed by the Colorado Libertarian Party and Colorado GOP last year as part of an attempt to prevent Libertarian spoilers in other races.
That pledge included a vow to pull funding for Ukraine, abolish U.S. intelligence agencies and not fight presidential pardons for Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and Ross Ulbricht. Assange pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information. Snowden is accused of violating the espionage act by leaking classified information to the news media. Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web site Silk Road, is serving a life sentence for facilitating the sale of illegal products.
Evans said Tuesday that he couldn’t sign the original pledge, but that after conversations with Joss “we were able to make some revisions.”
“I think that’s indicative of what representative government is supposed to be,” Evans said. “That’s what folks in Congress are supposed to do — they’re supposed to sit down and have those conversations with all of their constituents.”
Joss had originally vowed to drop out of the race only if Evans’ Republican primary opponent, former state Rep. Janak Joshi, won the primary. Joshi, who was endorsed by the Colorado GOP, signed the original Libertarian pledge, but then lost to Evans by 55 percentage points on June 25.
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Democrats blasted Evans’ decision to sign the new pledge as being politically expedient.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said it hasn’t received a formal request as of Wednesday morning from Joss to remove his name from the November ballot. That step is necessary before he can officially exit the contest.
Friday is the deadline for candidates on the November ballot to drop out of their contests and remove their names.
Millions of dollars are pouring into the district to purchase TV ad time heading into November. The 8th District race is seen as a key piece of the national battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of Congress.
Joss wasn’t the only third-party candidate running in the 8th Congressional District this year. Also on the ballot are Chris Baum of the Approval Voting Party and Susan Patricia Hall of the Unity Party. Unaffiliated candidate James Treibert is a write-in option in the district.
Election Day is Nov. 5.