Democrat Caraveo wins Colorado’s new US House district

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
DENVER (AP) — Colorado Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo has defeated Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer to win a U.S. House seat in a new district that stretches north of Denver’s suburbs.
The Associated Press called the race Tuesday although Caraveo claimed victory and Kirkmeyer conceded after votes were tabulated on election night on Nov. 8.
Caraveo’s win comes as Republicans try to flip control of the House in the midterm elections after Democrats retained control in the Senate.
Caraveo said in a statement last week claiming victory: “It’s the honor of my lifetime to receive this vote of confidence to serve working families from Greeley to Commerce City in Washington, D.C.”
Caraveo is a pediatrician and defender of abortion rights, who voted for police accountability after protests that followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Caraveo hoped her cultural lineage as the child of Mexican immigrants would attract support in a swing district where Latinos comprise nearly 40% of voters.
Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County commissioner, pledged to get tough on crime and unleash the oil and gas industry, which has a significant presence in the district. She once supported a blanket ban on abortion but now says she would respect exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger.
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for,” Kirkmeyer wrote on Twitter announcing her defeat, “I am proud of our team and our campaign.”

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