State Rep. Shannon Bird, budget committee vice chair, joins race against U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans

Colorado state Rep Shannon Bird a Westminster Democrat has jumped into the fray to unseat Congressman Gabe Evans in the closely watched th Congressional District next year Bird vice chair of the powerful Joint Budget Committee in the state legislature is the third Democrat to announce their bid for the congressional seat It is one of the majority competitive districts in the country and could prove pivotal to which party controls Congress in In an interview before her announcement Bird highlighted her experience in the legislature passing laws to fully fund general schools for the first time in a decade to ease new construction by reforming construction liability regulations and to create new tax credits for higher tuition She revealed economic stability and cost of living will be keystones to her campaign while also taking shots at Evans for in her view putting President Donald Trump s agenda ahead of his constituents Democrats have repeatedly hammered Evans for a lack of in-person townhalls He held a telephone town hall in April The more I thought about the situation that we find ourselves in in contemporary times and watched what this administration is doing with Gabe Evans encouragement one thing became clear to me There s going to be a time when people ask What did you do when Donald Trump came back into office for a second term Bird explained of her decision to run Especially in light of what he s doing to our country I know that I want to have the right answer She would not commit to investigations or impeachment inquiries into Trump but did not dismiss them outright Urged twice Bird revealed she would focus on volatility in Washington and how it is affecting the business activity and cost of living and pledged to show up and be accountable to constituents I can t tell you the number of people who have thought they were going to be able to retire have seen their k s take a nose dive and now have no idea how long they re going to need to stay in the workforce Bird explained The th Congressional District stretches from Thornton to Greeley It was drawn following the census Voters there elected Democrat Yadira Caraveo as their first member of Congress in and ousted her in favor of Evans in the following voting process Each race was determined by fewer than votes Bird announced she didn t have any particular thoughts on what tipped the district in the victor s favor in the two elections but would commit to being everywhere during the campaign to break it in her favor and best represent the people there Bird also contrasted her approach to Evans and blasted him for voting for a spending package that would slash Medicaid in a district where nearly one in four residents rely on the populace strength insurance Related Articles With Trump s honeymoon very likely over Colorado s Gabe Evans Jeff Hurd address tough political terrain Leader of Colorado s Libertarian Party calls man anti-gay slurs in Facebook exchange Yadira Caraveo will run for the seat she lost in November this time as challenger to U S Rep Gabe Evans Inflation commercial sector are top concerns at Rep Gabe Evans telephone town hall Bernie Sanders AOC rally crowd of in Denver s Civic Center A nonpartisan analysis from the Penn Wharton Budget Model identified the GOP spending package would vastly benefit the richest Americans according to the New York Times and lower the take-home income of the poorest Republicans argue the package would spur economic increase in the country which the analysis did not factor in Bird will have to win a Democratic primary next summer before she faces Evans in the general electoral contest Caraveo the former congresswoman stated last month that she intends to win back the seat State Rep Manny Rutinel a Commerce City Democrat informed his bid to oust Evans just weeks after the new congressman took office in January It helped him win an early fundraising advantage Bird commented she respects anyone who throws their hat into the political ring but that her six years at the state Capitol and time on the Westminster City Council before that set her apart I have worked already and passed substantive act to lower housing costs I ve passed bills to lower physical condition care costs to fully fund community development my work shows that I endorsement small business Bird stated All of this record that I have already established shows that I m effective and the people of the th that I m the right person to represent Colorado in Congress Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot