The Democrat Who Won Colorado's CD8 Primary Is Giving Party Leaders Nightmares—Here's Why

We've written extensively about the growing panic among establishment Democrats about the wave of recent wins from "Democratic" Socialists of America (DSA) party candidates in states like New York, where two Mamdani-backed candidates won their House primaries last Tuesday, with one defeating an incumbent.

And as we also reported, another DSA member, Bernie Sanders-endorsed Melat Kiros, won her primary race in Colorado's 1st Congressional District (CD1) Tuesday night, beating 30-year incumbent Diana DeGette in a district drawn for Democrat victories, and that hasn't had Republican representation since 1973.

But there was another Colorado congressional Democrat primary that flew under the radar a bit nationally, the results of which are perhaps giving party leaders nightmares far more than all the rest headed into the 2026 midterm elections.

The latest fruit loop, Colorado state Rep. Manny Rutinel (D), easily won the 8th Congressional District (CD8) primary against former state Rep. Shannon Bird, who was considered the more "moderate" and safer of the two. But unlike CD1, CD8 is viewed as a competitive, "battleground" district, and one that could determine control of the House of Representatives in 2027.

Though Rutinel doesn't appear to be closely aligned with the DSA, he is a radically left-wing, anti-establishment nominee in a district currently represented by freshman GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, who is running for reelection.

Evans won the district in 2024 by less than 3,000 votes, and while Democrats see it as a pick-up opportunity, Republicans see Rutinel as an easy target considering some of his wacky positions on issues important to voters in the district, some of which he's either flip-flopped on or will not answer questions about:

CO-8 Dem primary candidate State Rep Manny Rutinel says he no longer believes “fossil fuels have got to go.”

Rutinel opposed fracking earlier in his campaign. He now says he supports fracking due to the war on Iran.

He declined to say if he’d again oppose fracking after the war pic.twitter.com/BlKmwUqOi2
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 9, 2026

CO-8 Democratic primary candidate State Rep Manny Rutinel said earlier in his campaign that he supports universal single payer health care.

Rutinel repeatedly refused to say whether that is his position today.

I asked three times before moving on with the 9NEWS CO-8 Dem debate. pic.twitter.com/JPfN2PYJOe
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 9, 2026

Manny Rutinel (D) was a vegan activist who said “animal agriculture is a horrific, exploitative industry.”

Now running to represent ag-heavy CO-8, Rutinel says he is no longer vegan.

“It’s important for me to be able to enjoy the delicious products that Colorado ranchers make.” pic.twitter.com/oI8NJvvyGW
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 9, 2026

🚨REMINDER

Colorado Democrat Manny Rutinel was arrested for storming a football field protesting oil and gas, and is now running to represent a district that is a major oil and gas producer.

Rutinel is deeply out of touch with hardworking Coloradans. pic.twitter.com/lHVwTQwhGI
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 1, 2026

Our sister site Townhall also did some extensive digging on Rutinel's record:

This vegan activism is nothing new. Rutinel has been doing this since at least his undergraduate days in Florida, where he posed shirtless on campus, draped in a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) banner, to protest beef production.
"One pound of beef equals 180 showers," read the sign Rutinel held.

Further, there was this:

Uncovered footage shows him testifying in 2021 AGAINST the global animal agriculture industry, demanding humans eat nuts and grains instead.
"The globe must dramatically shift away from animal products and towards fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts."
"Inefficient foods create an enormous strain on our environment."
The 8th Congressional district is considered Colorado's agricultural capital. It is home some of the nation's biggest meat and dairy producers.

The Adams County, Colorado GOP tore into Rutinel as well, noting he and his pig costumes are the wrong fit for CD8:

It’s hard to watch Rep. Manny Rutinel throw on a cowboy hat for campaign photos when his actual record shows a deep-seated hostility toward the very people he’s running to represent. Colorado’s 8th Congressional District relies heavily on a thriving $2.6 billion agricultural economy, driven by the hard work of ranchers and farmers in Weld, Adams, and Larimer counties. Yet, Rutinel’s history is packed with extreme, activist rhetoric—from calling animal agriculture a "horrific, exploitative industry" to suggesting we use satellite imagery to spy on local farms for "fishy" livestock activity.
Slapping on a western hat doesn't erase years of praising PETA, celebrating anti-farming ballot measures, and telling a room full of students that the meat industry "should be a little scared" of what he’s about to do. When given the chance to learn about real operations from local producers, he doubled down on out-of-touch, click-bait talking points instead of listening to the truth. CD-8 needs a leader who respects and supports our agricultural backbone, not an activist who is clearly all hat and no cattle.

It’s hard to watch Rep. Manny Rutinel throw on a cowboy hat for campaign photos when his actual record shows a deep-seated hostility toward the very people he’s running to represent. Colorado’s 8th Congressional District relies heavily on a thriving $2.6 billion agricultural… pic.twitter.com/wBp0u3cc9l
— Adams County, CO GOP (@Adams_GOP) July 1, 2026

Rutinel sounds a lot like the Colorado version of Texas Senate Democrat nominee and fellow veganite James Talarico, and from the looks of things, his nomination will land like a thud in CD8:

Woof. Democrats spent the day griping anonymously that @MannyRutinel is too far left & toxic for #CO08

“Manny’s got a lot of baggage”

“Egg on their face”

“Level of investment needed in the seat would be greater if Rutinel wins the nomination” pic.twitter.com/PCfrbBSVwV
— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) July 1, 2026

You love to see it, you truly do.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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