Democrat Manny Rutinel, running for Congress in Colorado’s 32nd District, has settled on a rather interesting campaign strategy. His team just released an attack ad attempting to tie Republican Rep. Gabe Evans to Jeffrey Epstein and child predators. But oddly enough, the ad is narrated by Adams County District Attorney Brian Mason, whose own record on child predators looks questionable. And Rutinel’s is hardly above suspicion either.
Gabe Evans voted to cover up the Epstein files even after he knew 14 year old girls were sexually assaulted. Gabe Evans protected child predators. I’m protecting our kids. Join the fight. Link in bio. https://t.co/okYJFuRUli
— Manny Rutinel (@MannyRutinel) October 9, 2026
In 2022, Mason proudly announced that he had secured a conviction against Daniel Boerner, a man found guilty of horrific child sex crimes, and a sentence of 16 years to life in prison. But in 2026, that sentence was reversed, because of Mason’s prosecutorial misconduct.
But that is just the ad’s narrator. What about Rutinel himself?
In 2024, Rutinel was among the state legislators who helped kill a bill that would have required prison time for certain offenses involving the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The measure would have imposed a minimum four-year prison sentence for adults convicted of class-three felonies, for crimes including soliciting child prostitution, and eight years for class-two felonies, like coercing a minor into prostitution.
But Rutinel joined fellow Democrats on the House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee to kill the bill before it ever reached the full House floor. In a state that ranks among the top 20 for human sex trafficking, much of it involving children, that was quite the choice.
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Just one month after that vote, a Commerce City man, Rutinel’s hometown, walked away without jail time after pleading guilty to soliciting child prostitution and a cybercrime. Prosecutors said Daniel Goodfield had negotiated online to pay for sex with two girls, one of them just 14.
What he did not know was that the “girls” were undercover investigators. Police were waiting when he arrived at a hotel room to meet them.
If Rutinel wants to make child exploitation the centerpiece of an attack campaign, he should be prepared for voters to inspect his own record. An attack ad built on Epstein and child predators is quite the invitation to compare records. And on that score, the men narrating and bankrolling the accusation have left plenty for voters to examine.
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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