Democrat Amie Baca-Oehlert, the former head of the state’s largest teachers union, is running to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans next year in Colorado’s toss-up 8th Congressional District.
Baca-Oehlert, the fifth Democrat to enter the race, served two terms as president of the Colorado Education Association from 2018 to 2024 and previously was the union’s vice president. Before joining CEA, she taught English at Adams City High School in Commerce City, was a school counselor at Northglenn High School and led the District 12 Educators’ Association.
Amie Baca-Oehlert launched a campaign June 5, 5025, in the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District. (Photo by Ellen Jaskol)Baca-Oehlert has never held elected office before, but she told The Colorado Sun she has devoted her career to finding solutions for big problems and convening coalitions. She led the teachers union during a particularly contentious time filled with school funding debates, teacher strikes and demonstrations and pandemic disruptions across schools.
Baca-Oehlert, who lives in Thornton with her husband and three children, said her decision to run is driven by what she sees as a major gap between communities and the people in power representing them.
“I don’t see people who look like me,” she told The Sun. “I don’t see enough teachers, Latinas, moms, union members, middle-class Americans. And what I do see is a broken system where we have plenty of politicians who are looking out for the wealthy and well connected, but who are not looking out for everyday Coloradans. That’s when I decided we need something different.”
She said her upbringing and experiences teaching and helping students from struggling households have motivated her to step up as a leader.
Now, Baca-Oehlert wants to take her fight to the national stage by defeating Evans, who she said “is willing to just stand by and blindly support the Donald Trump agenda.”
She also aims to change Congress’ approach when tackling complex issues like immigration.
“We need people who aren’t just going to spout rhetoric about our immigration system, but let’s get in there and really solve it,” Baca-Oehlert said. “The current way of bashing everything and tearing everything down and thinking that’s going to fix it is not working.”
Winning the seat won’t be easy. The 8th District is one of the most competitive in the nation, and tens of millions of dollars will flow into the race.
The toss-up district spans Denver’s northern suburbs along U.S. 85 into Greeley. The outcome of the 2026 race could determine which party controls the U.S. House.
Evans ousted the Democratic incumbent, Yadira Caraveo, in November by about 2,500 votes, or less than a percentage point.
Baca-Oehlert faces an increasingly crowded field of Democratic primary candidates.
Caraveo, who lives in Thornton, is running to reclaim her seat despite concerns from Democratic leaders about her mental health and allegations that she mistreated her congressional and campaign staff. Also running in the district’s Democratic primary are state Reps. Manny Rutinel of Commerce City and Shannon Bird of Westminster, as well as Colorado Treasurer Dave Young, who entered the race Wednesday.
Bird announced her candidacy last month. Rutinel jumped into the race at the end of January and has raised more than $1 million since.
Democrat Evan Munsing, a Marine veteran who now works in private equity, is also expected to launch a bid in the 8th District.
The Democratic primary in the 8th District will be held in June 2026.
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