Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Republican Gabe Evans in Colorado’s battleground 8th Congressional District, where the state lawmaker is running in a primary against a candidate endorsed by the state GOP.

“A decorated Army helicopter pilot and police officer, Gabe will be an INCREDIBLE Fighter in Congress and will work hard to Grow the Economy, Lower Inflation, Uphold the Rule of Law, Defend the Border, Promote American Energy, and Support our Great Military and Police,” the former president said in a post on the Truth Social site.

“Gabe Evans has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump added.

Evans, a first-term state representative from Fort Lupton, faces former state Rep. Janak Joshi, R-Colorado Springs, in the June 25 GOP primary. The winner will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who is seeking a second term in the nearly evenly divided seat covering parts of Adams, Larimer and Weld counties, north of the Denver metro area.

Caraveo, a pediatrician and former state lawmaker, was elected two years ago in one of the country’s closest congressional races. This year, the seat is the only House district in Colorado rated a toss-up by election forecasters. Both national parties’ campaign arms have targeted the race, pegging it as key to winning control of the chamber after the November election.

In a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Evans embraced Trump’s endorsement and vowed to support the presumptive GOP nominee’s “America First” movement.

“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your confidence in my Fight Back Movement!” Evans tweeted. “I’ll always stand up for America First and I’ll always fight to end sanctuary city and Leftist policies that erode public safety and increase the cost of living.”

Caraveo’s campaign declined to comment on the endorsement. State and national Democrats, however, suggested Trump’s backing could hinder Evans’ ability to attract moderate voters in the swing district, particularly in the wake of Trump’s conviction on multiple felonies last week in a New York trial on charges he falsified business records as part of a scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election.

“Evans will do anything to get elected, even stand by convicted felon Donald Trump. Now, Trump is rewarding Evans’ allegiance with an endorsement,” Mallory Payne, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Colorado Politics in a text message. “If it wasn’t already clear that Evans would cave to his MAGA leader’s every demand, it is now.”

Payne added that there is “no question” following the endorsement that Evans will align with what she characterized as “the extreme Republican agenda of attacking reproductive freedom, threatening our democracy, and jeopardizing access to quality, affordable health care.”

Evans is the third candidate Trump has endorsed in a Colorado race this year, following his endorsements of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in a crowded primary in the 4th Congressional District and state Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams in the Colorado Springs-based 5th Congressional District.

Last month, the Colorado GOP formally threw its support behind Joshi after Evans refused to fill out a questionnaire that asked eligible Republican candidates to detail their history of voting for Trump, along with their positions on issues ranging from immigration and gun control to vaccine requirements.

Williams told Colorado Politics that the party stands with Joshi.

“We respect his decision but will stick with Joshi, especially since we can’t trust Evans to actually support Trump when it counts,” Williams said in a text message.

A spokesman for Joshi’s campaign said that his primary opponent’s endorsement by Americans for Prosperity Action — a conservative advocacy group funded by the Koch network that campaigned against Trump in the GOP’s presidential primary — disqualifies Evans, despite Trump’s decision to endorse Evans.

“Unfortunately, President Trump’s advisers have given him bad advice,” Chris McIntire, a senior advisor to the Joshi campaign, told Colorado Politics in a text message.

“Janak Joshi is the only one in this race who not only supports President Trump’s America First policies but has the legislative record to back it up,” McIntire added. “Gabe Evans has not only been running away from Trump, but is being bankrolled by the very dark money group that has spent millions trying to defeat Trump.”

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib predicted the endorsement could come back to bite Evans as Coloradans begin casting ballots in the primary.

“Convicted felon Donald Trump endorsed Gabe Evans today, creating yet another headache for the weaker-and-weaker Evans heading into the June 25 primary, especially since the Colorado GOP is supporting Janak Joshi — a guy who lost his medical license for ‘unprofessional conduct,’” said Murib, who described the two Republicans running in the 8th CD as “two sides of the same extreme coin.”