Fact-checking political ads in the Colorado 8th Congressional District race

DENVER – As the election approaches, Coloradoans are being inundated with political TV ads. Some of them exaggerate the truth, are outright false or misleading, or leave out important context that voters should be aware of.

That’s evident in the 8th Congressional District race between Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo and Republican challenger State Rep. Gabe Evans.

KMGH-TV

CLAIM: Two new ads from the Republican National Congressional Committee attack Caraveo, accusing her of contributing to Colorado’s fentanyl crisis. They accuse her of voting to reduce the penalties for possession of fentanyl when she was a state representative.

WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS: Legislative records show that Caraveo did indeed vote in favor of a 2019 bill that reclassified possession of 4 grams or less of fentanyl as a misdemeanor. The bill had bipartisan support, and Caraveo added his name as a co-sponsor.

The ads don’t mention 2022 Caraveo voted in favor of a bill that reverses the penalties in the 2019 law amid a spike in overdose deaths in Colorado.

CLAIM: Another ad from Evans’ side said Caraveo is “responsible for everything,” including drugs and crime flowing into Colorado communities. The ad, which shows Evans alongside members of law enforcement, also tries to tie her to shrinking police budgets.

CARAVEO’S ROLE: The ad is very misleading. As one of 535 members of Congress, and one that is new, having been elected in 2022, Caraveo is hardly “in charge of everything.” When it comes to police budgets, these are approved by local leaders, without the involvement of members of Congress.

On the other side are attack ads from groups supporting Caraveo that lack important context.

CLAIM: An ad from House Majority PAC, which is affiliated with House Democrats, says Evans believes gays and lesbians should not be able to marry. The ad also said Evans compared gay marriage to incest.

EVAN’S LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The ad refers to a letter to the editor that Evans wrote in 2004. Evans was 17 years old, which the ad doesn’t point out. The letter Evans wrote was in response to an earlier article that appeared in a local newspaper. In the letter, Evans said he did not support same-sex marriage. He also said that if gay people were allowed to marry, then “activities such as incest, pederasty and bestiality should be allowed”.

Evans told Denver7 that, like many Americans, his views on same-sex marriage have evolved in the years since he wrote the letter. He credits his experience as a soldier and police officer with helping him evolve.

“I worked with gay and lesbian soldiers. I worked with gay and lesbian police officers. I would have taken a bullet from them. They would have taken a bullet from me,” Evans said.

Evans has also said he supports repealing the state constitution’s ban on same-sex marriage.

KMGH-TV

CLAIM: Another House Majority PAC announcement goes after Evans on abortion, saying it would make abortion illegal, even in cases of rape or incest.

EVAN’S POSITION: Evans says that while she is pro-life, she allows for exceptions.

“I know we have to have the flexibility to take care of these people in these tragic situations, and that’s why I support the rape and incest exceptions,” Evans said.

He said he also supports exceptions to save the mother’s life.

Evans did not directly respond when asked by Denver7 if he supported the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v.

“I think the Supreme Court sent it very clearly to the states so that the states could handle it,” Evans said. “And we see that in the Constitution, in the 10th amendment, where it talks about things that are not at the federal level, it is explicitly delegated to the states.”

Evans said he would oppose a national abortion ban if elected to Congress.

Federal Communications Commission regulations prohibit state broadcasters such as ABC, CBS and NBC from censoring or rejecting paid political ads sponsored by legally qualified candidates. These rules do not apply to cable channels such as CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.

Fact-checking political ads in the Colorado 8th Congressional District race

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