The House Democrats’ main campaign arm on Thursday added state Rep. Manny Rutinel to its “Red to Blue” program, saying the party’s freshly minted nominee in Colorado’s battleground 8th Congressional District is primed to flip the seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans.

Calling Rutinel a “top-tier candidate,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said he’ll receive strategic advice and fundraising support from the group ahead of this fall’s midterms in a district that’s ranked among the most competitive in the country since its creation in 2022.

“The son of an immigrant single mom, Manny Rutinel understands the challenges working Coloradans face,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, the Washington state Democrat who chairs the DCCC, in a statement. “Manny is a champion for families and is laser-focused on lowering costs, growing our economy, and making it easier for Coloradans to not just get by, but get ahead. Unlike Gabe Evans, Manny will always put Colorado families first.”

Rutinel, who represents a Commerce City legislative district, won the Democratic nomination for the seat in last week’s primary after defeating former state Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, by a 30-point margin.

“Our campaign has the momentum to flip this seat because Gabe Evans keeps making life harder for Coloradans, and I’m focused on lowering costs and fighting for working families,” Rutinel told Colorado Politics in a text message.

The 8th CD, which stretches north of the Denver metro area, covering parts of Adams, Larimer and Weld counties, has appeared near the top of both major parties’ lists of targeted races since Evans unseated Democrat Yadira Caraveo by fewer than 2,500 votes in the 2024 election.

As it has been since its creation following the 2020 census, the district is considered a toss-up seat by the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections.

A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee waved off the DCCC’s designation as insignificant in the face of what the GOP sees as Rutinel’s vulnerabilities.

“Meatless Manny Rutinel wants to end animal agriculture, eradicate fossil fuels and let criminals roam free,” NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. “While DC Democrats may endorse Rutinel’s radical agenda, hardworking Coloradans will resoundingly reject far-left liberal Manny Rutinel this fall.”

Rutinel is the son of an immigrant single mother from the Dominican Republic, a graduate of Yale Law School and holds a master’s degree in economics from Johns Hopkins University. After working as an economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Puerto Rico during the response to Hurricane Maria, Rutinel worked as an environmental attorney for Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming Program before founding a public benefit company dedicated to advancing a plant-based food system.

In a primary debate last month, Rutinel said he was no longer vegan and added that he believes it’s important “to be able to enjoy the delicious products that Colorado ranchers make.”

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib welcomed the DCCC’s announcement, calling Rutinel an embodiment of the party’s values in a statement to Colorado Politics.

“He’s building a campaign that can win one of the most competitive districts in the country,” Murib said in a text message. “Colorado Democrats are proud to stand with him as we work to defeat Gabe Evans and elect a leader who will put working families first.”

Rutinel joins Jessica Killin, the Democratic nominee in the historically Republican 5th Congressional District, as the state’s member of the DCCC’s signature candidate support program this cycle. Killin, who won her party’s nomination last week over primary rival Joe Reagan, was named to the Red to Blue slate in May.