Could a vegan activist turned politician sway a ranching stronghold in Colorado’s pivotal congressional race?
Manny Rutinel, a Democratic state representative since 2023, is running for Colorado’s Eighth Congressional District, a swing area where the outcome could tip control of the U.S. House. This agricultural hub, including Weld County with its 4,000 farms and ranches generating $2.4 billion in sales, relies heavily on meatpacking giant JBS as a top employer. Rutinel, facing Republican incumbent Rep. Gabe Evans, a beef producer with a small cattle herd, has a long record of opposing animal agriculture, though he recently softened his tone to praise local ranchers.
The issue has sparked heated debate among voters and industry leaders in a district where farming is the economic backbone. Rutinel’s past is a lightning rod for criticism, given his actions as a student and beyond. Let’s unpack the history that’s raising eyebrows.
Back at the University of Florida, Rutinel was no stranger to bold protests, once stripping his shirt for a PETA sign and dressing as a pig for National Hug a Vegan Day.
He stood before cows with a placard proclaiming animal and human liberation as one. This wasn’t just youthful zeal; it set the tone for his later career, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
At Yale Law School, as a fellow in the Law, Ethics & Animals Program, Rutinel didn’t hold back and called animal agriculture a "horrific, exploitive [sic] industry."
Rutinel coauthored a 2020 proposal at Yale to pay farmers carbon-offset credits to ditch livestock for plant-based crops. He also founded Climate Refarm, an outfit pushing schools and hospitals toward plant-based meals while advocating for taxes on meat, dairy, and eggs.
Climate Refarm, now dissolved, even signed a 2022 letter to international mayors urging meat taxes and bans on animal product ads in public spaces. Such policies, tied to radical environmental agendas, feel like a slap in the face to hardworking Colorado farmers who feed the nation.
As an attorney for Earthjustice, Rutinel pushed the EPA for tighter slaughterhouse regulations, further squeezing an industry already under pressure. His support for 2024 Denver ballot measures to ban fur sales and slaughterhouses—both rejected—shows where his instincts lie.
After the Colorado Sun laid bare his past, Rutinel shifted gears, focusing criticism on the industry’s "bad apples" while calling local ranchers "the envy of the globe." Is this a genuine change of heart or a calculated move in a district where 40% of voters are Latino and deeply tied to agricultural traditions?
His campaign insists he stands with family farmers and promises to fight harmful tariff policies in Congress. A spokesman declared, "Manny is proud to stand with Colorado's family farmers and ranchers, who are his friends and the backbone of our economy."
As a state representative, Rutinel hasn’t pushed laws to phase out animal products, instead championing an Office of Environmental Justice to address pollution impacts.
Evans, the cattle-owning incumbent rooted in the land, versus Rutinel, whose history suggests a disconnect from the district’s core values. Voters must weigh whether a polished pivot can erase years of activism against their way of life.
Rutinel’s 40% Latino district deserves leaders who understand the cultural and economic weight of agriculture, not just environmental theory. His support for failed Denver measures was opposed even by local Democrats.
Will Colorado’s ranchers trust a man who once dressed as a pig to protest their industry, or will they back a producer like Evans who lives their reality? This election is a referendum on whether ideology trumps practicality in the heartland.
