House Speaker Mike Johnson is formally endorsing state Rep. Gabe Evans, one of the Republicans challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District.

Calling the first-term state lawmaker from Fort Lupton “uniquely qualified” to beat the incumbent, Johnson said that Evans has what it takes to make a splash in Washington.

“Today, I’m honored to endorse Gabe Evans for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District,” Johnson said in a statement obtained by Colorado Politics.

“He is a combat veteran, former police lieutenant, conservative state representative, and family man,” Johnson said. “Yet even more important than Gabe’s biography is his grit and determination to make a real difference in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Colorado and the conservative cause. Gabe Evans is uniquely qualified to go toe-to-toe with and defeat far-left Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo in 2024.”

Added Johnson: “Colorado, help us grow the majority and elect Gabe Evan for Congress!”

Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician and former state lawmaker, is seeking a second term representing the state’s newest congressional seat, which covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area. She won election in 2022 by just over 1,600 votes in one of the closest House races in the country.

Rated a toss-up by national election forecasters, the 8th CD has been targeted by both sides and could determine which party controls the House after this fall’s election.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and one of the most conservative members of Congress, was elected speaker in late October after House Republicans spent weeks struggling to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who lost the gavel at the beginning of the month.

The endorsement comes a month after Johnson endorsed U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in the crowded 4th Congressional District primary and a day after the GOP-controlled House narrowly failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and fell short on a vote to approve an aid package to Israel.

“I’m tremendously honored and pleased to have Speaker Johnson’s endorsement in this competitive Republican primary for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District,” Evans said in a statement.

“I deeply appreciate the Speaker’s trust in me and his conservative leadership in the U.S. House. I look forward to working with him to close the Southern border, drive a stake in the heart of the ‘defund the police’ movement once and for all, reduce the cost of living for Colorado families, and defend our energy jobs from Yadira Caraveo’s and Joe Biden’ tidal wave of job-killing regulations.”

An Army veteran and former Arvada police officer, Evans is one of four Republicans running in a primary for the chance to face Caraveo. The others are Weld County Commissioner Scott James, a longtime talk radio host and former chairman of the Weld County GOP; former state Rep. Janak Joshi, a former physician who moved into the district last month from Colorado Springs; and first-time candidate Joe Andujo, a health insurance agent from Fort Collins, who is self-funding his campaign.

Evans has racked up a number of endorsements from Republican members of Congress, including from U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and U.S. Reps. August Pfluger and Tony Gonzales, both of Texas, Brian Mast and Mario Diaz-Balart, both of Florida, and Jack Berman and John James, both of Michigan.

In the last reporting period, Evans held the fundraising lead in the primary, pulling in about $170,000 to the roughly $40,000 in contributions reported by James, while Andjudo raised less than $5,000. Joshi, who declared his candidacy late last month, won’t report his initial fundraising until April.

Caraveo, meanwhile, reported raising a little over $630,000 for the quarter.

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib derided Johnson’s endorsement in a statement to Colorado Politics.

“What a bad omen for Gabe Evans — Speaker Johnson keeps proving that there isn’t anyone worse at counting votes than him, and that’s going to be proven again in CD8 when Yadira Caraveo is reelected this fall,” Murib said in a text message.

He added: “Why Gabe Evans would accept the endorsement of the most extreme far-right Speaker we’ve ever had is beyond me — people are tired of do-nothing politicians playing games with their lives.”

Colorado’s precinct caucuses are in early March, and the district’s congressional primary is June 25.