JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Colorado's most competitive race is the state's 8th Congressional District, north of Denver. There, incumbent Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo is facing a challenge from state Representative Gabe Evans in a race that could determine the balance of power in the House. As Colorado Public Radio's Bente Birkeland reports, many voters there are still on the fence, even if they're sure about their presidential picks.
BENTE BIRKELAND, BYLINE: It's a bright, sunny day in Commerce City, a suburb just north of Denver. Democratic state Representative Manny Rutinel is out knocking on doors.
MANNY RUTINEL: My technique is I do a door knock and the doorbell ring at the same time.
(SOUNDBTE OF HAND KNOCKING ON DOOR)
KARISA: Hello.
RUTINEL: Hello, Karisa. How are you?
KARISA: Good. How are you?
RUTINEL: Here. I've got something for you.
KARISA: OK.
BIRKELAND: Rutinel is trying to turn out registered Democrats for incumbent Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo and other Democrats.
RUTINEL: I just want to make sure - are you going to go up and down the ballot?
KARISA: Up and down. I am encouraging everybody I know to do the same.
BIRKELAND: Just a few miles away at a local Walmart, some Democratic voters aren't yet sure. Liz Cardenas is backing Kamala Harris for president. But when it comes to the congressional race between Caraveo and her Republican challenger, state lawmaker Gabe Evans...
LIZ CARDENAS: I need to learn more because of - what's her name? - Yolanda. I hear so many bad things about her. And I don't hear anything good. But Evans, I hear good things, less bad things. So I don't - I'm not sure.
BIRKELAND: Also coming out of the store is Democratic voter Gina Strain. She, too, plans to vote for Harris but says she needs to learn more about Caraveo. Her biggest issue is protecting reproductive rights.
GINA STRAIN: For women to lose our rights that we did with Roe v. Wade set a lot of mama bears off.
BIRKELAND: A first-term congresswoman, Caraveo supports legal abortion. She's a pediatrician whose parents immigrated from Mexico. She's campaigned heavily on health care. Evans opposes abortion except under certain circumstances. But for Strain, it's also about immigration - something Republicans are hammering Democrats on.
STRAIN: The blame game here and there. You know, everybody's blaming each other. He had four years. They've had 3 1/2. So we need to come to a resolution.
BIRKELAND: Ads, many of them negative, blanket the Denver airwaves, shaping perceptions about the two candidates. With this many undecided voters in a diverse district where Latino voters make up nearly 40%, some groups see an opening.
ANGEL MERLOS: Hi. How's it going?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Good.
MERLOS: Hi. My name is Angel. I'm with Libre Initiative Action.
BIRKELAND: Libre Initiative Action is a conservative group trying to mobilize Hispanic voters to back Republican Gabe Evans, who also touts his own Hispanic heritage. His maternal grandparents immigrated from Mexico.
MERLOS: Are you Luis?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah. He's Luis.
MERLOS: You're Luis. I knew it.
LUIS MUNOZ: What is this about?
BIRKELAND: Luis Munoz is tagged in Libre's system as a swing voter. He's an immigrant from Mexico and says he's upset about the recent wave of arrivals, many from Venezuela, especially after his cousin's shop was broken into.
MUNOZ: They're making a mess here. There's, like, a lot of robbery things. And we don't have the same security.
BIRKELAND: Munoz plans to support Trump for president but is undecided on the congressional race. He's not alone there. In this toss-up district, those voters on the fence could ultimately be the deciding factor. For NPR News, I'm Bente Birkeland. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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