Kirkmeyer, Caraveo Vie for Colorado’s New 8th Congressional District

On June 28, Colorado voters took to the polls during the state’s primary election to choose a candidate for Colorado’s newly created 8th Congressional District. Republicans chose state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer as their candidate, and Democrats chose state Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

During the primaries, Kirkmeyer’s campaign raised $337,756, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), placing her second to last regarding campaign contributions. However, she triumphed over three other Republican contenders, receiving 40.9 percent of the vote. Her closest opponent, Jan Kulmann, received 22.7 percent.

Caraveo, who ran unopposed, raised more than $847,012, according to the FEC.

Nationwide, if Republicans are to gain the majority in the House, they’ll need to flip a net of five seats, and Colorado’s newest congressional district is a true toss-up. As such, the race for the 8th Congressional District could help decide who controls Congress following the November election.

Kirkmeyer vs. Caraveo

Kirmeyer, a conservative state senator for Colorado’s 23rd district, described herself as a common sense candidate.

“Having grown up on a farm and later working as a dairy farmer, I was taught and instilled with a deep appreciation for the values of hard work and frugality” she told The Epoch Times. “Don’t spend more than you earn!”

She noted that her upbringing instilled the deep conservative values that would inform her decision-making in Congress.

State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican, said she appealed to 8th Congressional District Republican primary voters by touting a legislative record that includes 17 pieces of legislation that she sponsored being adopted since her 2020 election. (Courtesy of Kirkmeyer For Congress)

Likewise, Caraveo, a progressive representative of Colorado’s 31st district, came from an immigrant family that instilled the value of hard work, according to her campaign website.

“[Caraveo’s parents] didn’t have much education or much money, but they knew that hard work and caring

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