House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries used a Colorado visit to combine a policy argument about economic pressure on Black Americans with a campaign push in two Republican-held U.S. House districts. At a Denver roundtable with nearly two dozen Black community leaders, Jeffries argued that Republican policies are disproportionately hurting African Americans while helping Democrats compete for seats that could affect control of Congress next year.
Jeffries joined Rep. Joe Neguse for the roundtable and, according to CBS Colorado, said Democrats have a real shot at flipping two Republican seats in Colorado this cycle. He raised money for Manny Rutinel in the 8th Congressional District north of Denver and for Jessica Killin in the 5th District, which covers El Paso County. Jerry Demmer, who attended the roundtable, emphasized the need for registration, turnout and unity, the station reported.
Jeffries's economic message centered on whether capitalism is working for working-class Americans. He said Democrats support a market-based, well-regulated economy and free enterprise, while identifying healthcare, Medicaid and deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as major concerns, according to CBS Colorado. He also said affordability would be a top priority heading into the midterms.
The Money and the Math Behind CO-08
The most closely contested of the two races is north of Denver, where Democratic nominee Manny Rutinel is challenging Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in CO-08. Rutinel is campaigning full-time after winning the June 30 Democratic primary with 62.8% of the vote, CBS News reports.
The financial starting point favors Evans. He entered the general election with $3.8 million in campaign cash on hand, compared with roughly $600,000 for Rutinel after a competitive primary, according to CBS News and Colorado Newsline. The gap was underscored in August when Speaker Mike Johnson traveled to Colorado to headline a fundraiser for Evans and described CO-08 as one of a small number of races that could determine control of the House, according to Colorado Newsline. Evans was also interviewed by CBS Colorado during that visit.
The district itself is a rare pure toss-up. Created after the 2020 Census, CO-08 carries an EVEN rating on the Cook Partisan Voting Index and has the largest Hispanic population share of any congressional district in the state at roughly 40%, according to Ballotpedia figures cited in Hoodline's earlier report, Rutinel Courts Weld Farmers. It flipped from Democratic to Republican control in 2024 by just 0.8 percentage points. Ahead of the pre-election blackout window in August, Evans spent more than $320,000 in official taxpayer-funded franking communications, including Spanish-language radio ads targeting Latino voters, Hoodline previously reported.
What the Turnout Data Shows
For statewide context, more than 3.2 million people voted in Colorado's 2024 General Election, producing nearly 80% turnout, according to the Colorado Secretary of State's 2024 election abstract. That verified figure is statewide and does not by itself provide separate participation counts for CO-08 and CO-05.
A Second Battleground in Colorado Springs
Jeffries is also helping raise money for Jessica Killin, an Army veteran trying to unseat Republican Rep. Jeff Crank in the 5th Congressional District, a seat no Democrat has held since its creation in 1972. Killin outraised Crank in the second quarter of 2026, $820,377 to $435,371, according to Ballotpedia. The district encompasses El Paso County and Colorado Springs, home to major defense installations including Fort Carson and Peterson Space Force Base.
Progressive Tensions Follow Jeffries to Denver
On June 30, 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado's 1st Congressional District, taking 49.3% of the vote in the deep-blue Denver seat, according to The 19th News. DeGette had first been elected in 1996, while Kiros was born in Addis Ababa in 1997.
Jeffries said he had a positive conversation with Kiros but did not comment on her remarks regarding the Hamas attack on Israel and the firebombing of Jewish demonstrators in Boulder. He dismissed Republicans' assertion that the Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists, saying unity will be central to overcoming turbulence and emerging stronger. That message echoes an August national television appearance, previously covered by Hoodline in Jeffries Dodges Medicare Question, in which he confirmed he no longer cosponsors Medicare for All legislation despite backing it between 2013 and 2021, instead emphasizing expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits and protecting Medicaid.
Economic Pressure Points Behind the Pitch
The economic warnings Jeffries raised in Denver track with state-level data. A February 2026 analysis by the Common Sense Institute found that 48% of post-pandemic Health First Colorado eligibility redeterminations resulted in disenrollments — the highest rate in the nation, compared with a 31% national average — even as total state Medicaid spending grew to $16 billion in 2025 before recent federal policy changes.
SNAP cuts were another concern raised in the discussion.
Jeffries also addressed the Black leaders at his Denver roundtable. The African American leaders at the table told Jeffries that Republican policies disproportionately hurt Black Americans, and Jeffries said Colorado was disproportionately punished because it did not vote for President Trump.
Questions on Impeachment Left Unanswered
Jeffries also declined to say whether Democrats would pursue impeachment if they win the House. His response was procedural: “We're going to follow the facts. We're going to apply the law. We're going to be guided by the Constitution, and we're going to let the chips fall where they may.” CBS Colorado reporter Shaun Boyd reported the exchange.
