A letter sent Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans says small businesses in Colorado’s 8th District face “ever-growing hardships” from state rules, fees and labor-cost mandates signed by Gov. Jared Polis.
Evans pointed to measures including taxes on overtime, diesel and delivery fees, and a 10-cent plastic bag charge, arguing employers are cutting staff and operating on tighter margins.
His case leaned on business data: small firms account for 99.5% of Colorado companies and 48.6% of jobs, while a 2025 Colorado Chamber survey found 65% of businesses with fewer than 100 employees ranked regulations among their top three challenges.
Polis’ office fired back that Evans’ vote for H.R. 1 added healthcare bureaucracy and could push Coloradans off coverage, while highlighting state incentive programs that have backed more than 115 businesses and nearly 24,000 jobs since 2020.
The clash lands in Colorado’s competitive 8th Congressional District, where Evans faces Democrat Manny Rutinel in November and business regulation remains a live political fault line.