Manny Rutinel (CO-08)

Red to Blue

Manny Rutinel is an economist, attorney, state representative, and Democratic nominee running for Congress in Colorado's 8th Congressional District. The son of a single mother who immigrated from the Dominican Republic, Rutinel grew up in Florida, working at McDonald's in high school and selling blood plasma to help support his family after a foreclosure. He put himself through college, earned a master's degree in applied economics from Johns Hopkins, and later graduated from Yale Law School. Before entering elected office, he served as an economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, worked as an attorney at Earthjustice, and led a climate nonprofit. In 2023, he was appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives and won a full term in 2024.

CO-08 is rated as a toss-up district — one of the most competitive seats in the country — and Rutinel faces Republican incumbent Gabe Evans in November. Flipping CO-08 is essential to winning back a Democratic House majority in 2026.

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