State Rep. Gabe Evans defeated Janak Joshi on Tuesday night in the 8th Congressional District Republican primary, setting up a November showdown with Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo in a race that may help decide control of the U.S. House.

The Associated Press called the north-central Colorado primary for Evans just after 7:20 p.m. Evans, a first-term state House member from Fort Lupton, was leading with 28,874 votes, or 77.96% of the total, to 8,164 for Joshi, or 22.4%, in early results posted to the Colorado secretary of state’s website after voting ended at 7 p.m.

In a phone interview just before 8 p.m., Evans pointed to his ties to the community and experience in the military and in law enforcement. He said crime, affordability and immigration would be top priorities in the November race against Caraveo.

“I’ve got the experience to solve the problems that we’re facing and I’m a big-tent Republican,” said Evans, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. “I will work with everybody. … That’s because I’m focused on solving problems, I’m focused on making life better for everybody, I’m focused on good government.”

Joshi did not respond to a request for comment.

Evans, a former Army helicopter pilot and Arvada police officer, had been favored in the GOP race in the 8th Congressional District, given his recent role in state politics, his support from Trump and his longstanding ties to the district. Joshi, a physician who surrendered his medical license 16 years ago, recently moved to the north Denver suburbs from the Colorado Springs area. Evans had also carried a more than 3-to-1 fundraising advantage over Joshi.

The primary between the two men saw diverging endorsements from key Republicans. Trump endorsed Evans, and the Colorado Republican Party — run by Trump supporter Dave Williams — backed Joshi as part of the party’s break from primary neutrality.

With the primary now behind him, Evans enters one of the most-watched races in the country. Caraveo had no Democratic primary opponent.

The 8th District is Colorado’s newest congressional seat, drawn in 2022 through the state’s redistricting process. It covers a swath of north-central Colorado, stretching from Thornton and Brighton up to Greeley and west to Berthoud and the edges of Loveland. When it was created, the district had the closest partisan margin — a slight Democratic lean — of any congressional seat in the state.

In that inaugural contest, Caraveo eked out a win over Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.

Now the race again is projected by analysts to be one of the most hotly contested in the country this fall, as Republicans look to defend their narrow majority in U.S. House. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up.

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