The House Democrats’ national campaign arm said Tuesday that first-term U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans is on the group’s initial list of targeted Republicans, virtually guaranteeing that Colorado’s 8th Congressional District will again be one of the most competitive seats in the country in next year’s election.

Evans, a retired police officer and former state lawmaker from Fort Lupton, won election last fall by fewer than 2,500 votes in the closely divided district, which covers parts of Adams, Weld and Larimer counties north of the Denver metro area.

Evans unseated Democrat Yadira Caraveo, who was elected to the newly created seat two years earlier by an even narrower, roughly 1,600-vote margin.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee included the 8th CD among its initial roster of 35 GOP-held districts it considers “in play.” The Democrats said in a release that the “expansive” list demonstrates the party is playing offense ahead of next year’s elections and has a good chance of taking the majority in the chamber.

“Gabe Evans is running scared, and he should be,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat and the DCCC’s chair, in a statement. “From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, he’s broken his promises to Coloradans, and it’s going to cost him his seat.”

She added: “The DCCC is already working to recruit authentic and battle-ready candidates in Colorado who reflect this district and will work to better Coloradans’ lives, not line Elon Musk and his DC party bosses’ pockets.”

The DCCC also announced Tuesday it was launching fundraising efforts aimed at collecting campaign contributions for the eventual Democratic nominees in each of its targeted districts.

State Rep. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City, is so far the only Democrat running for the seat, but despite his announcement this week that he raised over $1.1 million in the first fundraising quarter, he will almost certainly be facing a crowded primary.

In recent weeks, Caraveo, a Thornton pediatrician, has said she’s considering making another run for the seat and could decide soon. Other potential Evans challengers include term-limited State Treasurer Dave Young; state Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Northglenn; state Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Northglenn; and Adams County Commissioners Steve O’Dorisio and Julie Mullica, who is married to the state senator.

A spokeswoman for Evans’ campaign shrugged off the DCCC’s unsurprising announcement, citing the potential for an “all-out brawl” in the Democrats’ primary.

“Colorado Democrats need to get their own house in order before they even try to come for Congressman Gabe Evans,” Evans campaign aide Delanie Bomar said in a text message. “While Democrats are in an all-out brawl to the extreme left, Congressman Evans is delivering commonsense solutions to fix Colorado’s crime, immigration, energy, and inflation crises that the Democrats created.”

In 2024, the 8th CD drew more than $40 million in spending by candidates and outside organizations, making it the most expensive congressional race in state history and one of the most expensive nationwide last cycle.