Colorado's 8th Congressional District includes Weld County, the heart of the state's oil and gas industry. More than 80 percent of all crude oil production and 56 percent of all natural gas production take place in Weld County, which ranks eighth in terms of national energy production and makes Colorado the fourth-largest oil producing state in the country. Fracking, too, drove the growth of oil production in Weld County. In the late 1990s, the county produced around seven million barrels of oil annually; fracking supercharged this, doubling the output of oil to 14 million barrels between 2001 and 2007. By the end of 2019, more than 168 million barrels of oil had been taken out of Weld County, an 1,887 percent increase over 24 years.
Colorado's oil and gas industry supports more than 300,000 jobs in the state, including more than 54,000 directly tied to the industry, which contributed $57.5 billion to the state's economy, roughly 11 percent of its GDP.
But all of that could go away if Democrat Manny Rutinel is elected to Congress. Rutinel supports the radical "Green New Deal" being pushed by the Squad. In a recent interview with the Working Families Party, Rutinel said he would push key components of the legislation, which would decimate the fossil fuel industry in Colorado and every other state.
COLORADO DEM MANNY RUTINEL SAYS "YES" TO THE SQUAD'S GREEN NEW DEAL!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 7, 2026
"Will you stand with the Squad in pushing to advance the key components of the Green New Deal?"
"Yes."
"Do you support a universal single payer health system?"
"Yes."
"Do you support canceling student… pic.twitter.com/CGjC9LiudE
"Will you stand with the Squad in pushing to advance key components of the Green New Deal?" asked Kiera Hatton Sena.
"Yes," replied Rutinel.
Rutinel also supports a ban on fracking, and his record in the Colorado state legislature highlights his extreme anti-energy agenda. He was the prime sponsor of a bill that would "crack down" on polluters and "improve air quality" in the state by restricting oil and gas production, including a ban on fracking between May 1 and September 30.
That bill, thankfully, died in committee.
He also voted to reauthorize Colorado's radical Public Utility Commission mandate for "100 percent decarbonization by 2050," which requires utility companies to completely transition away from supplying natural gas to heat Colorado homes. Rutinel voted for measures that would put new fees on oil and gas producers, which would increase costs for consumers at the pump and on utility bills, and to ban the sale of gas stoves without a warning label (a federal judge later struck down that law on First Amendment grounds).
While Democrats claim they're running for office to make things more affordable and attacking President Trump on gas and energy prices, their record shows they have no interest in lowering costs for consumers. Democrats like Manny Rutinel actually support legislation that would not only end the fossil fuel industry — costing thousands of jobs and billions for our economy — but would make our energy costs skyrocket.
Colorado cannot afford to send Manny Rutinel to the House.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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